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Habitat for Humanity of Northern Arizona hosted a dedication ceremony for the first 10 starter homes at Timber Sky on Thursday, marking the completion of its two-week construction effort with Blitz Home Builders.

Expert volunteers from Blitz Home Builders traveled to Flagstaff to construct the starter homes between June 3 and 12. Alongside local volunteers and the families who will be living in the new starter homes, they completed the first 10. 

Habitat for Humanity of Northern Arizona Executive Director Eric Wolverton thanked the "blitz build" volunteers during Thursday's dedication, saying that the effort had lowered the cost of the homes, sped up their construction and developed a group of local volunteers that can help build the other homes on the site.

“We need to do this movement now,� he said.

Habitat first broke ground on its starter home neighborhood in Timber Sky in June a year ago, with this project expected to include a total of 40 homes that will be completed by the end of 2026.

The new homeowners, blitz build volunteers and several local leaders gathered at the site of the new neighborhood Thursday afternoon for the dedication ceremony. The nearly finished starter homes faced each other in two rows of five, with open doors for attendees to view their interiors.

The starter home design -- piloted in two homes on the corner of O’Leary Street and Butler Avenue that have been home to Flagstaff residents since 2022 and 2023 -- has room for a household of up to three. Each is 400 square feet and includes a loft bedroom, full bathroom, kitchen and living area. 

Residents own the home through an equity model, which allows them to build savings ($10,000 a year) that they will receive on selling their house back to Habitat in three to 10 years, starting the cycle with another homeowner. 

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs spoke during the dedication ceremony, connecting this project with other affordable housing efforts across the state. She cited a deposit into the state housing trust fund leading to the creation of 4,000 affordable rentals, down payment assistance for 600 first-time homebuyers and 1,700 low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) units.

A total of $2.2 million of that housing trust deposit was used for Habitat’s starter homes at Timber Sky -- which Hobbs called “a great example of housing innovation� that addresses the area’s specific needs.

“Here in Flagstaff, where you heard that the median home price has increased 80% in just the last six years, that there’s a scarcity of land, scarcity of affordable housing � these are all things that are going to make me fight to continue these kind of investments across the state,� she said. “As the first social worker elected governor not just in Arizona, but in the entire country, I understand firsthand the impact that stable housing has on people’s lives, the chances it gives them to find employment, to maintain employment, to boost their mental health, to foster a sense of community, to provide stability for individuals and families.�

Wolverton has previously said he’s discussed the starter home model with Habitat affiliates in Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa and Wyoming, all states that will be using the plans to build their own. At the end of 2024, Habitat of Northern Arizona was in the early stages of working with the cities of Page and Winslow on their own starter home developments.

“[The dedication] marks the moment we have proved that affordable homeownership is possible when people care deeply, think creatively and work boldly together,� said Vice Mayor Miranda Sweet during the dedication ceremony. � ... We’ve built a model, one that we can hope will inspire more neighborhoods, just like this. Not just here in Flagstaff but in cities and towns across the country.�

More about Habitat for Humanity of Northern Arizona and its work in Flagstaff can be found at .