Episode Outline
0:31 Welcome Back!
2:25 Intro to James Scruggs
7:24 Maya asks James to share one Authentic thing about himself: “I truly care about people”
8:38 Liz has James reflect and explain what it feels like when he gets a sign or message from God
10:54 James shares one of his favorite quotes with the table “True wealth is created not by chasing money, but by being of service and doing it at scale”
13:10 Maya invites James to share his dream of Ascension, how it came about and what makes his model unique.
· His model helps create economic mobility through homeownership and education
15:32 Liz talks about Diversity of approach on how to address housing challenges and how there’s not a one size fits all
17:21 Liz and James dive into the Ascension model breakdown
15-year deed restriction
· After 5 years the tenant can have access to 33% of their equity
· After 10 years the tenant can have access to 66% of their equity
· After 15 years the tenant can have access to 100% of their equity
o All of this is couped with education on how to leverage and grow equity
o Targeting: 80% AMI “The Missing Middle” target market
o All of the homes, whether attainable or market rate, will have the same high-quality products
22:20 Maya asks James what a thriving mixed income community looks like to him
25:15 Maya challenges Liz and James to respond to what they would say to people who view mixed income communities as gentrification
25:52 Liz drops a gem, “what someone makes doesn’t define who they are”
29:29 The table dives into the design and policy tools that best support social integration across income levels.
33:58 Courtney and Liz dive deeper into what it looks like to support someone through the holistic housing continuum and the reality of what it looks like for people to move on from their current lifestyle
38:49 James drops a gem, “It takes a village. The village is partnerships. Both public & private”
42:47 James explains how someone could support his nonprofit Ascension and the impact they would make for homeowners. They can do so through his Wealth Path Program by providing grants and donations towards his targeted 200-300 homes coming in per year
47:05 Maya asks James how he can ensure that affordability and inclusion persist over time
Ways to Listen
Overcast