County housing program a hit for Empire family.

“It’s just a really nice feeling to have a home of my own,” said Empire native Jennifer Williams.

While Leelanau County may have many “homes of distinction,” not everyone who works in Leelanau County can afford increasingly expensive real estate here.

That fact of life certainly affected Williams. A newly-single parent, Williams had little hope of affording her own home in Leelanau County despite the fact that she was holding down two jobs in addition to her fulltime job as a mom.

After living with her own mother for about a year, Williams and her three young children are now ensconced in their own three-bedroom, two bathroom “affordable” home located in the Village of Empire’s “New Neighborhood.”

Her move into the home this summer was so recent that not all the boxes had been unpacked.

“Please excuse the mess,” Williams said, “but it’s been very hectic in the past few weeks as you can imagine.”

Williams was on her way to her job at Huntington Bank in Empire on a recent Saturday morning. She also works as treasurer for the Village of Empire.

“Living here in the New Neighborhood is really convenient to my job at the bank, and of course I needed to remain a resident of the village to keep my job as the village treasurer,” she said.

“Location, location, location” is not the only thing that attracted her to her new home, however. In addition to bedrooms and bathrooms, the layout also includes a home office and a full basement.

The price was right, too.

Williams’ new home is a part of Leelanau County’s affordable housing program, administered through the county’s Planning and Community Development Department.

Housing coordinator Ron Crummel said that while William’s new home was recently appraised at around $215,000, Williams was able to buy it for just $113,000.

The arrangement allows her to own the home itself, but she must lease the land beneath the home.

In addition, if she ever sells the home, she can retain only 22 percent of the equity she’s earned. The rest goes into a trust administered by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) and is used to offset the cost of the home for the next family that moves into it.

The program also requires an applicant to be employed, obtain a mortgage, and be able to pay off the loan over time.

There are four such Leelanau County-sponsored “affordable” homes in the New Neighborhood development in the Village of Empire. William’s red and almond colored home on Erie Street is the last of the four to be built.

Crummel said that another affordable home in the development – across the street from Williams’ new home – was transferred to a new owner recently. The original owner bought that home for $104,000 two years ago. It was recently appraised at $226,000, but is being transferred to a new “income qualified” owner for $117,000.

To qualify for a home offered through the county’s affordable housing program, a family of four must have a combined annual income of under $50,950 according to state guidelines. For a single person, that figure would be a maximum annual income of $35,650, Crummel said.

Leelanau County is also overseeing construction of eight condo units in the village of Lake Leelanau. Known as Provemont Pines, the condos will each feature three bedrooms and 1.5 baths, plus a garage and deck. The units are expected to sell for $93,000 to $95,000 to eligible families.

The county has been administering low-income housing programs through MSHDA since 1994. As of last year, the county had received nearly $4 million in grants, loans and other funds for the program. The money has been used to construct new homes and rehab or replace existing homes. More than 106 homes have been renovated or constructed for qualified homeowners and homebuyers.

“Jennifer Williams grew up in Empire,” Crummel noted. “The only way she could afford a home of her own and stay there was through a program like ours.”

Because Williams has three children who will soon be school-aged, the local school district – Glen Lake – will also benefit from increased enrollment.

William’s oldest, Chloe, will enter kindergarten in the fall.

How does she like her new home?

“I like it a lot,” Chloe said.