Reparation Generation (RepGen) is supporting the broader reparations movement by demonstrating what repair can look like in people’s lives today. A flagship RepGen Program, HORT provides one-time, $25,000 Reparative Transfer Grants plus homebuyer mentorship, Restorative Genealogy, and other critical support to Black Descendants of Enslaved People in the U.S. purchasing a primary residence in Metro Detroit.
Grounded in the United Nations Reparations principle of compensation, the HORT Program aims to create replicable and scalable models that provide partial compensatory repair to Black Descendants of Enslaved People in the U.S. Reparation Generations Leadership selected Housing Repair based on the historical gap in home ownership and wealth between Black Americans and other Americans.
The evaluation findings from the HORT Program are shared to inform reparative program design nationally and generate evidence-based data demonstrating that reparative acts can heal harm and create wealth. Additionally, the evaluation of HORT Program components provides new insights into elements of repair that can potentially be built into other programs designed to address equity gaps. By demonstrating that reparative acts work, we are bolstering the case for a Federal Reparations Program.
“Being able to purchase a house…was so out of reach until I heard about [the HORT Program]. And so it really did change our lives.”
“[In my new home] I’m around established neighborhood grocery stores…and I’m close to Eastern Market …I can look out my balcony over into the Dequindre cut where they have all types of events and concerts. It’s a lot more livelier than my old neighborhood.”
“Every part of the process was exciting. I mean, you know, how many people can say that they’re finding out about their genealogy, their lineage, as well as receiving $25,000 to help purchase a home?”
“[In my new home] I just have a certain level of peace that I didn’t have before.”
“It’s knowing that this house is always going to be ours. After, you know, my husband and I are gone, it’s going to be my daughter’s house.”
The HORT Program provides a pathway for American citizens who believe in Reparations—and who recognize they have benefited from and/or contributed to harm against Black Americans—to support models of repair for Black American descendants of enslaved people through charitable contributions as acts of truth, healing, and repair.
RepGen aggregates these charitable contributions into reparative grants and provides $25,000 Reparative Transfers (voluntary, non-recourse, non-repayable financial payments) alongside homebuyer mentorship and restorative genealogy consultations for Black Descendants of Enslaved People in the U.S. pursuing homeownership. These grants can be used for down payment assistance and other home-related costs.
Recipients are engaged in RepGen’s Reparative Evaluation process for two years to assess the impact of the HORT Program on their lives. Contributors are also engaged in evaluation to assess the impact of making a Reparative contribution. RepGen initiated its first Model (HORT 1.0) in Metro Detroit. After evaluation and improvements, HORT has now been iterated in Metro Detroit as HORT 2.0 (completed July 2025) and HORT 3.0 (launched September 2025 to December 2026).
RepGen initiated HORT 3.0 in September 2026 in Metro Detroit and intends to provide $1 million in HORT Reparative Grants to 40 families by January 2027. Additionally, Reparation Generation’s strategy seeks to expand organizational capacity and the program through strategic community partnership and funding to evolve and test the HORT Program model in other municipalities. We believe this model can be iterated to work in a variety of geographies, supporting communities that are engaged in the imaginative work of equity and justice to add layers of repair and healing.
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