New affordable housing for working class families, economic growth and employment opportunities are aimed for Pembroke because of a new grant awarded to JC Vision and Associates on Friday.
The Hinesville faith-based nonprofit organization received $300,000 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Rural Housing and Economic Development Program to assist with constructing 12 new modern homes in a city where 22.4 percent of families live below the federal poverty line.
But according to Atlanta HUD Regional Director Bob Young, the impact of the funding will extend past a dozen families getting new homes to get at the heart of the problem facing most rural cities — the local economy.
“I don’t have to tell you what a challenge it is to find safe, decent and affordable housing in southeast Georgia. You see it everyday,” he said during the award ceremony. “But this money is going to offer more than just affordable housing for working families. It’s going to trigger economic development and breathe new life into this part of southeast Georgia.”
The grant is part of $16.8 million in funds awarded through HUD’s RHED program, which since 1999 has provided nearly $190 million to help communities create more than 12,000 jobs, support nearly 8,200 businesses and produce almost 20,000 affordable homes nationwide.
Through JC Vision’s partnerships with the City of Pembroke, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development program, $300,000 grant will be leveraged to bring in an additional $448,568 for the project, Young said.
Chris Garretson, a private citizen, has donated five acres of land for the project and the organization plans to purchase the rest of the property equaling 20 acres to eventually build a total of 30 to 50 homes, JC Vision Executive Director Dana Ingram said.
“So $300,000 looks just like a little drop at the bottom of the bucket, but you know what? Isn’t God good?” Ingram asked guests in attendance. “He is and he can make things expand and expand and expand.”
The organization is not just about building new homes for families, however, and Young had a bonus in store to reward Ingram and her staff for their work in providing consumer housing counseling.
“As I told you when we started (the ceremony), you do a lot under this roof. You have fair housing enforcement, you have some construction and you also have housing counseling,” the regional director said as Ingram stood waiting for the surprise. “And so I am pleased to announce today, Dana, that JC Vision and Associates has been awarded $67,000 ... to assist families right here in this part of Georgia in becoming first-time homeowners and remaining homeowners after their purchase.”
The additional funding will help the organization expand its courses on purchasing a home, mortgage default, predatory lending and rental and homeless assistance, which successfully assisted 636 clients last year in its 22-county coverage area, including Bryan, Liberty and Long.
The Hinesville faith-based nonprofit organization received $300,000 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Rural Housing and Economic Development Program to assist with constructing 12 new modern homes in a city where 22.4 percent of families live below the federal poverty line.
But according to Atlanta HUD Regional Director Bob Young, the impact of the funding will extend past a dozen families getting new homes to get at the heart of the problem facing most rural cities — the local economy.
“I don’t have to tell you what a challenge it is to find safe, decent and affordable housing in southeast Georgia. You see it everyday,” he said during the award ceremony. “But this money is going to offer more than just affordable housing for working families. It’s going to trigger economic development and breathe new life into this part of southeast Georgia.”
The grant is part of $16.8 million in funds awarded through HUD’s RHED program, which since 1999 has provided nearly $190 million to help communities create more than 12,000 jobs, support nearly 8,200 businesses and produce almost 20,000 affordable homes nationwide.
Through JC Vision’s partnerships with the City of Pembroke, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development program, $300,000 grant will be leveraged to bring in an additional $448,568 for the project, Young said.
Chris Garretson, a private citizen, has donated five acres of land for the project and the organization plans to purchase the rest of the property equaling 20 acres to eventually build a total of 30 to 50 homes, JC Vision Executive Director Dana Ingram said.
“So $300,000 looks just like a little drop at the bottom of the bucket, but you know what? Isn’t God good?” Ingram asked guests in attendance. “He is and he can make things expand and expand and expand.”
The organization is not just about building new homes for families, however, and Young had a bonus in store to reward Ingram and her staff for their work in providing consumer housing counseling.
“As I told you when we started (the ceremony), you do a lot under this roof. You have fair housing enforcement, you have some construction and you also have housing counseling,” the regional director said as Ingram stood waiting for the surprise. “And so I am pleased to announce today, Dana, that JC Vision and Associates has been awarded $67,000 ... to assist families right here in this part of Georgia in becoming first-time homeowners and remaining homeowners after their purchase.”
The additional funding will help the organization expand its courses on purchasing a home, mortgage default, predatory lending and rental and homeless assistance, which successfully assisted 636 clients last year in its 22-county coverage area, including Bryan, Liberty and Long.