The Genius of Genesis
How SSJNN program creates new homeowners
Shoppers at the Little Italy Farmers Market this summer can do more than find fresh and healthy local produce. Visitors to Three Sisters Park at 430 W. 19th St., where the Farmers Market sets up, will also appreciate the fruits of the 25-year efforts by the Sisters of St. Joseph Neighborhood Network (SSJNN) to revitalize this area.
With its goal to help individuals and families achieve the American dream of becoming homeowners, the SSJNN's Genesis Home program has helped to spur this revitalization. Genesis Home has multiple facets. Participants start by paying rent at a reduced rate – 55 percent of the fair market value of the property. They put the money they save on rent toward costs needed to buy a home, according to Michelle Jaggi, SSJNN's director of housing and community assets.
With mentoring that lasts anywhere from 18 to 36 months, participants also develop skills in budgeting, repairing credit, working with financial institutions to apply for a mortgage and maintaining a home after they move in.
"I have always been passionate about helping people in any way I can," said Kyle Blackmer, SSJNN property manager. "We empower people where they are at," he said.
That means that mentoring is individualized. Participants already adept at budgeting, for example, wouldn't take part in budget training.
At graduation, Genesis participants are encouraged to stay connected with SSJNN. They also receive a warm send-off, which includes a housewarming basket as well as a toolbox to handle the chores of home maintenance. They've had the chance to learn from Blackmer's hands-on lessons when he has done a repair at their Genesis Home rental.
"I encourage tenants to be there when I am fixing something, to give them soft skills," he said. By watching him work, they gain confidence in themselves, he said. "They might even be able to teach me something," he said with a smile.
Ideally, renters who take part in Genesis Home will buy houses in the SSJNN footprint, which includes Little Italy but actually extends roughly from 12th to 26th streets, from Cranberry Street to East Avenue.
But as they learn the skills to manage finances and maintain homes, Genesis graduates are prepared to buy in any location; Blackmer can accompany them during house-hunting to make sure they get a good buy. Once, he traveled to Ohio to check out a potential home, Blackmer said.
In the 2025-2026 calendar year, three single-family homes have been purchased, rehabbed and sold to Genesis graduates. These homes received updated mechanical systems, including furnaces, air conditioning and hot water tanks, as well as new appliances. Some houses also got new 30- to 35-year roofs. Of the eight Genesis rental units that have been rehabbed, there are several openings available for new tenants, Blackmer said.
When Blackmer began at the Neighborhood Network, the COVID pandemic had pushed up the cost of construction materials. In addition to those higher prices, Erie's aging housing stock also presents a challenge. "Out of 10 properties I go into, maybe one or two are actually suitable to invest money and bring back to square one," he said.
Genesis differs from other efforts to tackle the affordable housing crisis in Erie, such as the Triangle of Hope, which has been launched to repurpose three institutions into supportive housing for people experiencing chronic homelessness.
The Triangle includes the former Washington School, which had belonged to the Erie School District, at West 21st and Sassafras streets; the former Sacred Heart Catholic School, at West 26th and Plum streets; and the former Saint Paul Catholic School and Parish Center, at West 16th and Walnut streets.
The Mercy Anchor Community Center, at Sacred Heart, is one point of the Triangle, explained Jennie Hagerty, executive director of the Mercy Center for Women. With 20 two-bedroom apartments, this space will provide housing for 30 to 40 people, as well as a food pantry, diaper depot, educational programs, a thrift store, case manager and around-the-clock supervision. It is anticipated to open in 2028.
Rather than tackling chronic homelessness, Genesis addresses a different aspect of the housing market in Erie – the woeful rate of homeownership. The homeownership rate in Pennsylvania is 70 percent. In Erie, that rate is 54 percent. For minorities, the Erie homeowner rate skids to 34 percent, according to Jaggi, who joined the SSJNN in March of this year.
With a 20-year career in the social services and government, including serving as the county's outreach coordinator for the 2020 U.S. Census, Jaggi is well-versed in doing deep dives into statistics to search for solutions.
The Genesis Home program has changed over the years and now has a strategy to "better screen potential participants who are ready to purchase a home," she said. "We want to create homeowners in this area. We want to see people succeed. We want to see property values go up," she explained.
If a Genesis Home grad buys a property in the SSJNN footprint, there's another benefit. "We gift back a portion of the rent," Jaggi said. "We're incentivizing homeownership in the area," Blackmer added.
"Homeownership is so important to the stability of families and the neighborhood," Jaggi continued. "This is a program that meets the needs of middle-income earners," she said. For younger people, it counters the notion that they will never have the means to become homeowners.
Blackmer and Jaggi are delighted that since 2020, 90 percent of Genesis Home graduates have succeeded in becoming homeowners.
Blackmer recalls a family that had become ineligible for low-income housing after their income went up. They rented under the Genesis Home program and within three years, bought their own house on Erie's east side. When he visited, the kids grabbed Blackmer's hand and led him to see their artwork on the refrigerator. "They lit up. That right there is why we do it," he said.
Jaggi recounts the story of a Bhutanese family that had resettled in Erie after 27 years in a refugee camp. When they arrived here, even transportation was a barrier, leading to a 3-mile walk to commute to work.
"After two years in the Genesis program, they were able to save enough to purchase a home, a long-abandoned 104-year-old property in Little Italy which has been restored," she said. "Because they purchased within the network's borders, they were gifted back a portion of their rent toward their downpayment."
If you visit the Farmers Market this summer, you might run into that family. You will certainly have a chance to chat with other neighbors at the market, which is open every Monday from 3 to 6 p.m., from June 22 to Sept. 28, except on Labor Day.
For more information on how to apply for Genesis or set up an interview, call Jaggi at 814-454-7814, extension 303 or email her at mjaggi@ssjnn.org. Call Blackmer at 814-454-7814, extension 204 or visit www.ssjnn.org
Liz Allen counts visits to the Little Italy Farmers Market among her weekly summer pleasures. You can reach her at lizallenerie@gmail.com
