Three-bedroom condominiums constructed inside the former boardinghouse will be sold to three first-time homebuyers. Homebuyers qualify if the household income is no more than $64,320.

With no ground to break, the "unbuttoning" was kicked off by a group of teens involved with Common Ground's Youth Build program. Youth Build is an organization that helps troubled youths from local public schools attain their general equivalency degrees (GED) while receiving training in construction. The program's goal is to help youths further their education and careers while building quality homes for low-income families.

Sharon Shelton of CTI community relations has been working with Steve Joncas, chief executive officer of Common Ground, and Tom Galligani, Common Ground's housing-development consultant, to get this project and others like it on track. Their goal is not simply to hand people affordable housing, but to have the community be a part of making it possible. CTI hopes to "assist low-income people to become self-sufficient, to alleviate the effects of poverty, and to assist low-income people to participate in the decisions that affect their lives."

As a result, youths have a chance to learn trades, and a neighborhood is improved.