Kyra Epps is making real changes to where it all started for her. The longtime TV producer and wife of comedian Mike Epps has returned and is improving the conditions of the people of her hometown of Chicago.
To help make the changes, Kyra partnered with Habitat for Humanity Chicago. This is in addition to her work on HGTV’s “Buying Back The Block” show, where Mike bought and updated houses in his hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana.
Kyra will lead Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore Chicago South workshop and host a 2024 Women Build Team in October.
To speak about her efforts and career, Kyra recently stopped by rolling out to dish out more details.
What has creating “Buying Back The Block” been like?
The special part of it was that my son, our only son, was born on the same block as his father, and in the same hospital as his dad.
It was just so special. My kids get to run the same block and be around family. I think that was the biggest part for us, the legacy of it. We get to stay in the communities that gave us our values and morals. We get to build back those communities, whether taxes are being raised or not. We get to stay there and make that part of us home so we can continue to build and grow as the generations move forward.
How have people reacted to the show now that it’s been out for a few months?
My husband says this all the time, “I never got so much great feedback as I did with ‘Buying Back the Block.'”
So many people were like, “Wow. We love what you’re doing for your community.”
It was very progressive, and we’re very proud of it.
What are you doing with Habitat for Humanity Restore Chicago?
Post “Buying Back the Block,” I was talking to my husband, and I’m like, “I’ve given so much to Indianapolis. You have to go to Chicago because that’s where I’m from.”
My whole family is still there. We go so much with our kids. We love Chicago. I am a Chicago girl from the top to the bottom, and I honestly feel like it’s the best city in the world. Knowing what I know, my childhood and how I grew up, it’s imperative to me to not only show my kids but to go back and give back to the community that I’m from. So I had a good friend of mine that was like, “You need to contact Habitat for Humanity because they do so much work with affordable housing …”
I met with them six months ago and they were like, “Listen. We want you to come on board.” So, I came on officially as their Community Impact partner. That title is so special to me because sometimes information can’t be received unless a relatable person pushes it … I’m right here from this neighborhood on the West side. My mom still currently lives in Englewood. These things are important to remember because I’m not too far gone. Plus, I’m bringing my husband with me, and people love him down. That’s their guy.
It’s about pushing the message forward of sustaining your house, maintaining it and using resources. Habitat for Humanity Chicago has so many resources for first-time homebuyers, they literally have a program called Homebuyer University. In the program, you take courses where they ask you, “What’s the first step in buying a house? What’s the second step? How do you build credit? Who do you call? How do you have these conversations?”
