Nonprofit helps provide affordable housing for Bisbee residents

BISBEE, Ariz. (KGUN) — Another Bisbee neighborhood is benefiting from the work of Step Up Bisbee/Naco. The nonprofit renovates old homes in the city and provides home repair help to the people who live in Bisbee and Naco.

“We can do a lot of good for a lot of people," Step Up Bisbee/Naco board president Grady Meadows said.

A house on Nighthawk Avenue in the San Jose area in Bisbee is the latest project to be completed by the group.

“We decided we would renovate it. It’s been a big job," board member Danielle Bouchever said. "But as you can see it’s turning out great. It’s night and day from what it was and the neighbors are happy.”

The nonprofit has a Work Force Housing Initiative program with eight employees that build and renovate homes throughout the city. They work on homes purchased by their LLC partner, then donated to the City of Bisbee, and fix them up to sell to educators, law enforcement and other city workers at lower prices.

“Well, the idea is to keep teachers and city workers in the community so they don’t have to move out to another community where they can make more money," Meadows said. "We train them here, we want to keep them here in Bisbee.”

Meadows said they created the Work Force Housing Initiative in 2020 after seeing a need. Their retainment efforts aren't just for incoming personnel. The nonprofit also helps with home repairs so people can stay in their homes.

“Sometimes just a few things in a person’s home allows them to stay in that home instead of having to go to some sort of care facility or something like that," Bouchever said. "So for our community I think that’s just healthy.”

The Nighthawk Avenue house has just a few final touches that need to be done before it's listed on the market, but Meadows said they have already started on two more houses in the Bisbee area.