Alonzo Mourning was approached about affordable housing in South Florida around 2015, after retiring from the NBA and spending years involved in community work. His own childhood had given him a personal connection to the need for stable housing. At 12, Mourning entered foster care after his parents separated and was raised by Fannie Threet, a retired teacher who had fostered nearly 50 children.In 2017, Mourning launched AM Affordable Housing, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and partnered with Housing Trust Group to develop affordable housing for families and senior citizens. The partnership later expanded across Florida and into Texas, eventually putting 15 properties into construction, development or the approval process.
Fannie Threet gave Alonzo Mourning a home when he was 12
Mourning was born in Chesapeake, Virginia, to teenage parents. After his parents separated, he was placed with Threet, a family friend who had spent years fostering children.Threet cared for nearly 50 children during her life and raised Mourning until he turned 18. He later left for Georgetown University, where he played under Hall of Fame coach John Thompson.“She saved my life, and she gave me a home,” Mourning said.The experience influenced his philanthropic work. He established the Mourning Family Foundation in 1997 and later helped create the Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High School in 2009.Mourning retired from the NBA in 2008 after a 15-year career with the Charlotte Hornets, New Jersey Nets and Miami Heat. He won an NBA championship with Miami in 2006. After leaving basketball, his philanthropic work became a larger part of his professional life.His entry into affordable housing came several years later when contacts from his philanthropy and time with the Heat led to an opportunity in South Florida.
The first housing project received more than 3,000 applications
AM Affordable Housing was established in 2017 and entered a partnership with Housing Trust Group. HTG took responsibility for development, architecture and management. The nonprofit worked on funding opportunities, including subsidies and tax credits that could help reduce construction costs.Mourning became involved in the development process, approving interior designs, identifying Community Reinvestment Act opportunities and meeting with landowners and state officials during approvals.The partnership’s first project was Courtside Apartments in Overtown, north of downtown Miami. The $23 million development contained 84 one- to three-bedroom apartments. At the time, rents were capped at $990 a month.Demand quickly exceeded the number of available units. Mourning said more than 3,000 people initially applied for the apartments.He has also spoken about the people who rely on affordable housing, including veterans, people who have experienced homelessness and older residents whose main income comes from Social Security.“These are real stories,” Mourning said. “These are people that aren’t looking for a handout, they just need a little bit of help.”The partnership continued developing properties in South Florida. By 2025, AM Affordable Housing and HTG had 15 properties under construction, in development or approved in Miami-Dade County, Overtown, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood and other communities.The organisations expanded into Texas in 2024 with a 56-unit apartment complex in Lubbock. Mourning has also expressed interest in eventually bringing the work to Virginia.
Astoria on 9th brought 120 senior apartments to Bradenton
In May 2025, AM Affordable Housing and HTG completed Astoria on 9th in Bradenton, Florida. The five-story development cost $37.4 million and contains 120 apartments for older, low-income residents.The one- and two-bedroom apartments have rents ranging from $322 to $1,316 a month. The development includes a clubroom, cyber café with a catering kitchen, fitness centre, surface parking and a dog park. Residents can also access adult literacy training, housekeeping assistance and grocery support.The project received more than $17 million in Low-Income Housing Tax Credits from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. It also received more than $9 million in State Apartment Incentive Loans and $600,000 in extremely low-income loans, along with other loans and subsidies.The development was completed as Florida continued to face a shortage of affordable housing. A 2025 University of Florida report estimated that the state had nearly 900,000 low-income, cost-burdened renters. Nearly 350,000 of them were 55 or older, according to the report.The report also estimated a shortage of almost 100,000 affordable units for low-income renters in Florida.Mourning has pointed to the national shortage as another reason for expanding affordable housing projects.“There’s a shortage of 7 million affordable houses across the country,” he said. “You can’t build them fast enough.”Astoria on 9th is the largest project highlighted in his housing work so far. Its 120 units add another development to a partnership that has already moved beyond its first Florida project and into another state.Mourning has connected the work to the experience of having a home during his childhood. He has credited Threet, along with teachers, coaches and other people who supported him, with helping shape his life after foster care.He has also described the work as part of the legacy he wants to build after basketball.“Your legacy should be defined by what you do for your neighbor … the impact that you had on other people’s lives,” Mourning said.The former NBA star began his post-playing career with philanthropy before entering affordable housing in South Florida. AM Affordable Housing was formed in 2017, the partnership with HTG expanded across multiple communities, and Astoria on 9th later added 120 senior apartments with rents beginning at $322.“Basketball is temporary, eventually that ball stops bouncing,” Mourning said. “So, OK, what are you going to do with your life after that?”The Astoria on 9th project shows how that effort has grown beyond individual donations into long-term housing development, with affordable homes designed around the needs of older residents. Mourning has spoken about eventually taking the model into more communities, carrying forward the lesson he learned as a child that having a safe place to call home can change the direction of a life.
