Champion our Children by supporting their Teachers
The Mission
Investing in the children & future of Bentonville through teacher well-being and residence.
Housing Solutions
Supporting Teachers
To Invest in our Children
Why?
The Bentonville Teacher Homes project at McAuley Place is a 160-unit stable housing development located directly east of the Bentonville Community Center. It comprises 40 single-family cottages for income-eligible Bentonville Schools teachers and staff and 120 multifamily units that are available to income-eligible Bentonville Schools teachers and staff, as well as other residents of the Bentonville school district.
To continue recruiting and retaining these top notch educators, we must build them a path to home ownership, to get them on the “equity escalator” before the skyrocketing cost of homes leaves them behind. We must care for them and their own families so that they can continue to foster ours.
What?
The Bentonville Teacher Homes project at McAuley Place is a 160-unit affordable housing development located directly east of the Bentonville Community Center. It comprises 40 single-family cottages and 120 multifamily units that will house teachers, staff, and other residents of the Bentonville school district.
Bentonville Schools teachers and staff will also be able to participate in a new model called Home Ownership Mutual Equity Solutions (HOMES), which will emulate the benefits of home ownership without the drawbacks. After a maximum of five years residency, HOMES participants will leave the program with an educational and financial foundation for home ownership, including up to an estimated $50,000 for the purchase of their own home.
Home Ownership Mutual Equity Solutions (HOMES)
How it works.
Developed by Excellerate Housing, the HOMES program helps families who don’t see a clear path to home ownership secure their own home within five years. It is a self-sustaining model that is based on a concept called “mutual equity.”
Program participants are prepared for home ownership while making a principal and interest payment each month. When they leave the program, all of the principal and a portion of the equity appreciation can be used to purchase a permanent home.
Using this model, the most common barriers to living in a single-family home––down payments, PMI, closing costs, insurance, and more––are eliminated, making it possible for participants to attain housing suitable for their families’ needs.
Key Partners
The Bentonville Teacher Homes project is a public-private partnership with Bentonville Schools, Excellerate Foundation, Benton County, Mercy Health, and Arvest Bank among its members. Together, we have been able to drive this solution, which is unlike any other in the nation.
But we need your support to make this a reality. Lend your strength to ours, and we can ensure our educators and children have everything they need to thrive over the long term.
Moving Forward
New Location. Greater Impact.
Despite challenges with the original site, the Bentonville Teacher Homes project continues thanks to quick thinking and tremendous effort from the key partners, as well as members of the community who strongly believe in our goals and refuse to give up.
The new location, known as McAuley Place, has actually improved the project in several ways. The overall number of stable housing units has increased from 100 to 160.
But our work is not yet done. That’s why we need your support.
Next Steps
Your donation is critical.
Why?
While the Bentonville Teacher Homes project is an important step forward, it cannot solve the stable housing crisis, even for Bentonville educators. This must be the first initiative of many, covering a broad range of strategies, from supply to access to policy.
But in order to do that, our community and elected leaders must know that this is a priority for the people of Bentonville. Your vocal support and financial contribution helps create a unified community voice, one that says that quality education matters in Bentonville, as do the people who provide it and receive it. By joining the chorus, you can help ensure not only the success of this project, but also the ones to follow.
How?
By donating to the Teacher Homes Fund, you help make the Bentonville Teacher Homes project a reality. More importantly, you provide tangible proof that housing, teachers, education, and our children are of the utmost importance to Bentonville residents.
Donors will receive special updates on the progress of the project, and they will also be invited to the grand opening celebration of McAuley Place. Additionally, every donation of up to $100 to the Teacher Homes Fund will receive a 1:1 match from Excellerate Foundation.
Every donation, no matter how small, is vitally important to the cause. Helping our teachers will help our children, who in turn will help Bentonville continue to flourish.
Community Supported
Voices from our community.
“It’s a special thing when residents of a community see a need and come together to provide the solution. This is an opportunity to change the landscape in Bentonville where so many new teachers and other young professionals are priced out of the housing market.”
“McAuley Place is an excellent example of what our community can do when it comes together. Teachers are the backbone of our community and are key to making our region one of the greatest places to live in the nation.”
“Finding housing in Bentonville has been difficult for myself and many others. I’m blessed to work in a district that advocates for its teachers.”
“I’m grateful to work in a district that is actively working towards solutions for stable housing. It’s one of the most effective tools to recruit and retain some of the best educators in the state. Living in Bentonville is financially straining, and teachers want to live in and be part of the community where we teach.”
“Our teachers are the frontline of encouragement, nurturing, and inspiration. It is a great thing to give them a place of peaceful living to recharge as they take on this highest of opportunities.”