There's no place like home, but today's hot housing market has made owning a house a lot harder for many, and now the City of Winston-Salem is stepping in to help those who are priced out by helping them rent to own. 

What You Need To Know 

Charavina Reader is a resident at Brookside View, a community ran by the City of Winston-Salem Housing Authority 

The Kimberly Park Project was funded under the federal HOPE VI program into a mixed-income community 

The program Reader is in encourages residents who rent, to eventually become homeowners of their units 

"For a starter home, these are amazing," said Charavina Reader, resident of Brookside View.

And these homes are especially unique because those who rent them, can eventually own them. Reader is one of those potential homeowners. All in due time with the help of the Winston-Salem Housing Authority.

"I was like that’s the same color as my grandmother’s house ... then, when they told me the address is Wilson Terrace, Wilson is my  dad’s name, so it was even more confirmation this is for me," Reader said.

Clearly, it was love at first site for Reader and her daughters.

"We came from a two-bedroom, one-bath apartment with teenage girls, I can’t share a bathroom with them, so we have two bathrooms now. Yay! Each of the girls have their own room, which is what they’re really excited about, and so it’s just been an amazing thing," Reader said.

The Brookside View Homes are the final installment of the Kimberly Park Project. Which is funded by a $28 million grant that was issued back in 1997 to transform the Kimberly Park Terrace Public Housing Development into a privately-owned, mixed-income community.

While the homes look pretty typical on the outside, the people living inside, like Reader, are getting help from the city every step of the way. They are on the path from renter, to being able to one day afford buying their units.

"We did a lot of classes to get us ready and since a lot of us have moved into our homes, it’s about OK, make sure that you have the money put up for emergencies, for your repairs, getting us ready to go into full-ownership of the units that we have," Reader said.

Reader has been in her new home for almost a year, and she encourages other cities to develop a similar program to create lasting change. 

"If the city has a housing authority or public housing, it’s a good program to invest in because there are diamonds in the rough, and everybody deserves an opportunity to become a homeowner and leave something behind for their children. That’s the American dream," Reader said.

An American dream she believes should be within reach for everyone.

"I hope every city is taking a look at what Winston-Salem is doing," Reader said.