A Pittsburgh nonprofit housing developer
We buy vacant houses, renovate them well, and sell them at or near cost to families who qualify.
Hope Grows at Home turns neglected houses in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, and Western Pennsylvania into safe, move-in-ready homes for working households. Our team has been renovating this city's housing stock for decades.
What we do
Four commitments, one goal: more Pittsburgh families owning safe, sound homes.
Buy and renovate vacant houses
We acquire vacant and distressed properties and renovate them with our own construction team: fully updated, healthy, and built to need minimal maintenance for years.
Sell at or near cost
Our homes are priced at or near break-even, never for profit, and sold to owner-occupant buyers earning 60 to 80% of Area Median Income, the midpoint of what households in the region earn.
Prepare every buyer to succeed
Before purchase, every buyer completes HUD-approved homebuyer education and one-on-one counseling covering budgets, maintenance, and mortgage obligations. No surprises in year one.
Help steady the block
We lease homes at affordable rents, plan a hands-on construction-trades internship for young people, and partner with neighborhood organizations and local government on revitalization.
For homebuyers
Find a home
Our homes are for working households, and we will help you find out if you qualify. Checking costs nothing, and if you are not ready yet, homebuyer counseling can help you get there. No dead ends.
See if you qualifyFor funders and partners
Support the work
We bring a builder's speed and discipline to community development. Read the program design, the eligibility standards, and the track record behind them.
Explore our programsWhy us
Most housing nonprofits hire builders. We are builders.
The foundation grew out of JL HomeBuilders, a Pittsburgh construction company that spent nine years renovating roughly one hundred single-family homes alongside community development organizations. Founder Justin Livingston turned that operation toward mission in 2025, and the company still backs the foundation with funding, operations, and construction expertise.
Across our team: more than 60 years of combined construction experience and 35 years in the nonprofit sector. We know what it takes to carry a project from fundraising and pre-construction through final sale, and we move faster than most because the crew is ours.
- Nine years renovating Pittsburgh houses with community development partners
- About 100 homes single-family renovations completed by the JL HomeBuilders team
- $6,000,000+ invested in Pittsburgh-area communities over those projects
Talk to us
Whether you are hoping to buy a first home, writing a grant, or watching a vacant house on your street that deserves better, we would like to hear from you.