Skip to Content

‘Teacherville’ helps Black educators afford to buy a home

By Taj Simmons

Click here for updates on this story

    INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) — School districts across Indiana are trying to find ways to keep educators from leaving the field. A non-profit organization believes the answer starts at home.

The Educate Me Foundation launched its Teacherville initiative last year, which assists Black educators looking to buy a house with down payment and closing costs.

“The biggest reason teachers are leaving the classroom outside of culture is teacher pay,” said Educate Me CEO Blake Nathan. “We can’t dictate what a teacher makes in a school district or charter school network, but we can try and lower the cost of living for an educator.”

The organization helped develop a literal Teacherville in the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood, where several affordable townhomes are being constructed for educators.

“Two to three years down the line, we can talk to educators who bought their first home and see if they’re still in the field of education,” Nathan said.

Crystal Jackson, a special education teacher at Tindley Genesis Academy, used Teacherville’s services to help buy her first home in November.

“I said a prayer and thanked God for it,” Jackson said.

She worried her goal of homeownership would not have been possible without the organization.

“The financial part of it was just really hard to keep going and stay motivated, it just seemed like it couldn’t happen,” Jackson said. “When people take time to acknowledge the needs of teachers, it’s a good thing.”

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

Article Topic Follows: CNN - Regional

Jump to comments ↓

Author Profile Photo

CNN Newsource

BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION

News Channel 3-12 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation.

Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here

If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here.

Skip to content