On June 2, 2025, the Pete du Pont Freedom Foundation named Wilminvest Community Development Company the 2025 Reinventing Delaware Top Idea of the Year in the For-Profit category. The announcement was made during a special press event hosted in the Rockland Room at the DuPont Country Club. The recognition honors a community development initiative that blends housing access, economic mobility, and long-term social impact.
Championed by co-founders Joel Amin, Bryce Fender, and Demetrius Thorn, Wilminvest is tackling one of Delaware’s most persistent challenges: the shortage of affordable housing and the lack of support services to help families move from crisis to stability. With a bold, scalable model, the organization is reimagining what it means to be a landlord and what housing can mean for the future of a family.
A Housing Solution for Delaware Families
In Wilmington, where more than 25% of residents live below the poverty line and over 1,700 vacant properties contribute to neighborhood blight, Wilminvest is working to flip the script. Their model seeks to stabilize renter-to-owner ratios by reclaiming investor-held properties and converting them into affordable homeownership opportunities, often for the very families who are currently renting them.
Wilminvest was established in 2017 with a vision that goes far beyond acquiring and repairing vacant homes. The organization has developed a model that integrates affordable housing and case management, creating sustainable opportunities for Delaware families who have long been overlooked by the traditional housing market.
At the center of Wilminvest’s work is a three-part framework:
Invest – Acquire distressed or vacant homes in Wilmington and across the state
Repair – Renovate these homes to create safe, affordable housing options
Restore – Pair housing with wraparound services to reduce reliance on shelters, prevent eviction, and help tenants build toward self-sufficiency
While in a Wilminvest home, tenants are connected with a broad network of partners offering job training, workforce development, financial education, and mental and behavioral health support. Revenue from property management is reinvested into this ecosystem, creating a full-circle model that benefits individuals, neighborhoods, and the local economy.
From Rental Stability to Homeownership
Since launching, Wilminvest has helped families transition from shelters or unstable housing into homes where they can plant roots. With the goal of eventual ownership by current tenants, their work is helping to stabilize communities, close equity gaps, and reimagine what sustainable housing development looks like.
The organization works closely with the Delaware State Housing Authority and the Wilmington Housing Authority to provide long-term rental housing solutions for vulnerable families. Now, through the Home Equity Empowerment Program, Wilminvest is partnering with Stepping Stones Credit Union, a federally chartered but underutilized institution, to expand access to homeownership.
Stepping Stones offers flexible mortgage options to low-income borrowers and can lend $5–$10 for every $1 in deposits, making it a powerful tool in addressing Wilmington’s low homeownership rates. A recent $2 million grant, awarded in partnership with Wilminvest, Discover Bank, and the Wilmington Housing Authority, will strengthen this lending program and help more families transition from renting to owning.
Wilminvest’s efforts have earned praise from housing agencies, nonprofit partners, and economic developers alike, positioning Wilminvest as a standout among this year’s Reinventing Delaware finalists.
A Vision for Scalable Impact
With support from the Pete du Pont Freedom Foundation and a $7,000 Reinventing Delaware grant, Wilminvest is poised to scale its impact across the state.Â
The organization’s next phase of growth includes expanding its Home Equity Empowerment Program to reach more families, growing its workforce development pipeline through employment partnerships such as Amazon DSP, and increasing internal construction capacity to renovate additional homes and meet Delaware’s rising housing needs.Â
By aligning its strategy with both public and private partners and reinvesting in the communities it serves, Wilminvest is building a housing model where profit drives purpose.
Be Part of the Next Big Idea
With the 2025 Reinventing Delaware celebration behind us, we’re already looking ahead to the next chapter. Join us as we kick off the 2026 cycle at our exclusive Reinventing Delaware Dinner on November 18, 2025—an evening limited to just 100 guests. Now through October 1, we invite bold thinkers and everyday problem-solvers alike to submit innovative ideas that have the potential to strengthen communities or improve lives across Delaware.
If you’ve been holding on to a transformative idea, now’s your chance to share it and earn a seat at the table where Delaware’s next big solutions are born. Submit online at www.petedupontfreedomfoundation.org/reinventing-delaware-2025-idea-submission-form/.
Sponsorship opportunities are also available for Reinventing Delaware. Sponsorship support extends beyond the dinner, sustaining the robust idea development process and helping turn visionary concepts into thriving enterprises. Your sponsorship will be recognized all year long, culminating in the announcement of next year’s winner.
Please contact Lynn Roberts at [email protected] for more information.