Drawbridge Villas in Pocomoke: Mixed Income Property Partnership
We look forward to announcing details of an exciting partnership with Davis Strategic Development to qualify Habitat homeowners for townhomes in the Drawbridge Villas development coming to downtown Pocomoke!
2025 Bishopville Single Family Build
Habitat for Humanity of Worcester County is breaking ground a new home build project in Bishopville that will provide a local resident, Deonhya Purnell, the opportunity to become a homeowner. Purnell has lived in Berlin her entire life and has worked at Food Lion for 22 years. She is a single mother to an adult daughter and two sons who attend Stephen Decatur High School. “A yard for my granddaughter, a place for my boys and their friends … it’s all I’ve ever wanted,” says Purnell.
Rising housing costs in the region have made her search for affordable homeownership difficult. As her income gradually increased, she found herself caught in the middle: she earns too much to qualify for assistance programs, but not enough to readily secure a mortgage in the current lending market.
She notes that the high cost of renting has prevented her from saving more for a down payment or other home-related expenses. Furthermore, renting has prevented her from building equity in a home that would be an investment for the future of her family. Purnell looks forward to simple pleasures that come with having a house of her own, such as being able to host family dinners and her sons decorating their own bedrooms with their football and wrestling trophies and awards. “I can’t wait to have my family over for Christmas. I want my older relatives to come see our home without having to climb 38 stairs,” Purnell shares.
As part of the Habitat homeownership journey, Purnell aims to show her children the importance of persistence, good credit, and smart money habits. She encourages them to distinguish between wants and needs, reminding them that sometimes it’s best to wait before making a purchase. “Your credit is everything. Keep your credit high,” she tells her children, emphasizing the value of staying patient, being responsible, and spending within your means. These lessons are especially important now as they edge closer to turning the key in the door of their very own house in Bishopville, just minutes away from their family and friends in Berlin.
Through the Habitat for Humanity program, Deonhya and her family will perform “sweat equity” hours on the construction site and at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Ocean Pines. This volunteer-driven model aims to lower construction costs while engaging local individuals, businesses, and community groups in the process. Habitat for Humanity partner families pay a monthly mortgage, property taxes, and homeowner’s insurance just like any other homeowner. Habitat’s role is to work with the local community to accept monetary donations, labor, and materials that offset the cost to build creating increased affordability for Habitat partner families.
“I’ve worked for so long and couldn’t qualify for many programs. Now, just seeing how the community is reaching out is heartwarming. It just means the world,” said Purnell. Habitat for Humanity relies on donations and volunteer support to make these projects possible. The organization welcomes contributions toward related costs. Community members who wish to support the build are encouraged to donate or volunteer. For more information on this project or how to get involved, please contact the Habitat for Humanity of Worcester County office at inquire@habitatworcester.org.
Bishopville Single Family Build
On December 19, 2019, Habitat for Humanity of Worcester County completed and dedicated a single family home built for Ashley Zlotorzynski and her four children in Bishopville, Maryland. Zlotorzynski is a graduate of Stephen Decatur High School and Wor Wic Community College and works as a residential counselor for an inpatient treatment facility. Ashley’s husband, Neil, passed away suddenly in 2013. Zlotorzynski enrolled in a degree program and worked hard to pursue her dream career to provide for her family. Zlotorzynski says, “I’ve lived in Worcester County my entire life. I love it here. I don’t want to live anywhere else. Owning my first home is everything to me. It’s what I want to do for my children. They’ve been through so much that they deserve something to call their own. It’s more stability. It’s a lifelong dream come true.”
Jefferson Street Project (Berlin, MD)
Habitat for Humanity of Worcester County plans to build a compact mixed-use development that will provide gallery/retail space on the ground floor and (2) 2-story homeowner-occupied units on the second and third levels in Berlin, MD. The intention is that artists or similar creative business entrepreneurs with limited incomes, would be able to purchase the homeownership units and rent the ground floor spaces. The projection is that the rental fee and monthly mortgage combined would be less than what one would expect to pay for a rental home alone in downtown Berlin. For those who have the opportunity to contribute to the expansion of business benefitting the community, especially in new and creative ways, limited income should not mean limited opportunity to tap into the market. This project will create the only affordable housing space in downtown Berlin.
This property is in Bertlin's Historic District, within the Sustainable Communities area, Arts & Entertainment District, and the Main Street District, making it an ideal location for a project of this nature. The project is in keeping with the future sustainability and expansion goals for the Town of Berlin. 21 Jefferson Street is to be the linking point between a former residential district, its infill transition to a commercial district (and extension of the Main Street and Arts and Entertainment Districts), and the existing commercial district. The goal of the expansion for the commercial district is not to remove housing, but rather to incorporate both housing and retail/gallery in the same space, thus best utilizing the limited area available in the downtown corridor.
