In 2021, Ms. Wheeler and her grandson moved into one of our rental homes along the 1700 block of East Preston Street, a Broadway East block where we have rebuilt 45 formerly abandoned houses and eliminated vacant properties. Within a week, Ms. Wheeler had fully decorated the house and made it her home. “Once I moved here, I just fell in love,” she says. “I fell in love with the house and the area. It’s convenient for me to get everywhere that I need to go, and it’s very peaceful.”
Ms. Wheeler has enjoyed seeing her block continue to improve. “I love the lights out front,” she says, referring to the string lighting that ReBUILD installed on her block in 2023 through a State of Maryland Community Safety Works Grant. “It makes the area look so much more beautiful.” She had only wondered when the last remaining vacant houses a few doors away would be fixed. Now that ReBUILD has fully renovated the last five abandoned homes on the block, she has something else to look forward to. “I’m just so happy to see everything come together,” she says. “And I can’t wait to get new neighbors. I’m so excited for that.”
