I See My Baby Inc, and the City of Bainbridge are teaming up to offer a free financial education series aimed at helping Decatur County residents navigate the path to homeownership.
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In Decatur County, the median household income is just over $53,000, while the median home value is nearly $159,000 — a gap community leaders say can make homeownership feel out of reach for many families.
That's why I See My Baby Inc. is partnering with the City of Bainbridge to launch the Housing Stability Academy, a free education series designed to connect families with resources that support long-term stability and well-being.
Throughout the program, participants will hear from local bankers, mortgage lenders, home inspectors and other industry professionals. Topics will include building and maintaining credit, understanding loan options and mortgages, and how to maintain a home.
Alicia Hurtt, founder of I See My Baby Inc., said the need for this kind of education runs deep in the community.
"A lot of people feel like owning a home is a dream. They may be first, second generation in public housing. And so owning a home is not something that they even thought they could do. And because of where we live in rural Georgia, there are programs, grant funding, USDA programming that literally you can own a home for a fraction of the cost to no money down. And so I want to be able to scream it from the mountaintop that you can do it."
Hurtt said the academy's reach extends beyond homeownership, offering financial guidance that can benefit residents in a variety of situations.
"Being able to plant that seed and say, hey, here's a way to own a home. Here's a way to fix your credit. Maybe you don't want to own a home. Maybe you want to buy a car. Right. It's on its last leg. And you're like, what can I do? Maybe you're anticipating your taxes coming in January. Well, let me educate you on what you can do to maximize that tax money. Let me tell you now in July, August and September to prepare you and then to figure out a way. You know what? I can build generational wealth."
Bainbridge resident Jessica Ludwig has been renting for the last seven years and said she is ready to give her family stability by buying a home. While she and her husband are working on building their credit and saving for the purchase, Ludwig said figuring out the next steps has been a challenge.
"Finding a starting point, I think, is the hardest part."
"Like, who do I talk to? Which bank should I go to first? Or, you know, that sort of thing. Even if you should go to a bank first, like, you don't know."
By offering the academy at no cost, Hurtt hopes to make financial education more accessible and put homeownership within reach for more families.
The free education series begins Aug. 13 and registration is required.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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