TAKOMA PARK, Md. - Hundreds of Takoma Park residents who were in danger of losing their low-income housing to the condo boom still have the same address, and much-improved apartments, thanks to a unique program.

Jennifer Villa was never proud to call her apartment home.

"It was infested with rodents," she said. "The bathroom was falling apart, mold inside the walls -- you really couldn't see, but you could feel it. It was not a pretty sight."

But the single mother of two wanted to live in Montgomery County (web | news) .

"This is what I could afford, so this is what we did," Villa said.

After living in the building for nine years, she thought she'd have to move. A developer had bid to buy the building and turn it into condominiums she knew she could not afford.

Just blocks away, Crystal Pittman was facing the same problem at the apartment complex she had called home for 13 years.

"We didn't know if we were going to be leaving Montgomery County, going to P.G. County, going to another state..." said Pittman, trailing off.

That's when the Montgomery Housing Partnership got involved. It pooled almost $15 million in private and public funding and bought the two properties, along with a third one in the neighborhood.

In one year, the non-profit renovated all three. And before they knew it, Villa and her daughters were welcomed back, and paying no more in rent then they had before.

"The walls were freshly painted, the bathrooms were re-done, cabinets, everything was changed and it was like a breath of fresh air," she said.

And there's even more savings hidden in the green features of the buildings, from the rain water collection barrels to the money-saving Energy Star appliances.

"I just got my utility bill and trust me, it was very low," Villa said.

The dream-come-true brought on tears at Friday's ribbon-cutting ceremony.

"For me, my heart is swelling with pride today that we in government are able to partner with people who actually live and work and dream big dreams," said Montgomery County Council member Valerie Ervin.

Now Villa loves to show off what used to be an embarrassment.

"We're proud of it," she said. "We're proud to say where we live at and that we live in Takoma Park on University Boulevard."

Officials hope the project is just the beginning. There are at least 5,000 people still waiting for affordable housing in Montgomery County alone.

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