United Way of Northeast Florida Commits $10 Million
United Way of Northeast Florida President and CEO Melanie Patz shared news last month of a $10 million commitment, to be distributed across three areas of focus, “toward housing for all people.”
The announcement was made at a press conference at Greater Bethany Baptist Church in North Riverside on Tuesday, Nov. 14 in conjunction with Groundwork Jacksonville, LISC Jacksonville, LIFT Jax and the North Riverside Community Development Corporation (CDC).
- Patz explained the three “key” focus areas are:
- Preservation ($4 million): “working to reduce foreclosures and the effect of heirs’ property issues and repairing existing homes to support residents remaining in their homes;”
- Infill development ($5 million): “catalyzing infill developments, supporting loan funds for developers to help catalyze new construction of single-family and multi-family units and the acquisition and rehabilitation of single-family homes;”
- Boosting nonprofit and CDC capacity ($1 million): “boosting the capacity of existing nonprofits and CDCs working to help homeowners remain in their homes and to help owners and renters find affordable options.”
These focus areas were determined “in partnership” by United Way of Northeast Florida’s Affordable Housing Task Force comprised of representatives from 16 Jacksonville companies and stakeholders.
This $10 million commitment is made possible through MacKenzie Scott’s 2020 $20 million donation and builds on United Way’s $1 million investment supporting neighborhood-based programs aimed at rehabilitating owner-occupied homes and addressing issues surrounding heirs’ rights made earlier this year.
United Way of Northeast Florida’s repair and restoration program, in partnership with Groundwork Jacksonville, LISC Jacksonville and LIFT Jax – also announced earlier this year – continues to make tangible and impactful change for homeowners.
After the press conference, Historic Eastside CDC CEO Suzanne Pickett said addressing necessary home repairs through these kinds of programs “really is a mental health issue.”
“If you think about the conditions that people live in, where they don’t know how they’re going to repair their homes…Just imagine the comfort once you have that repair and how that translates into other areas of your life,” she said. “It’s more than just home repair; I say it’s a love letter to the community.”
Following the press conference, Groundwork Jacksonville and North Riverside CDC conducted a neighborhood tour to showcase the impact these rehabilitation and repair programs have made on the community, highlighting new roofs and landscaping on residential properties as well as discussing extensive interior work that has substantially improved homeowners’ quality of life.
“We know that making meaningful progress toward housing for all means joining together with a group of committed, passionate and effective partners, holding ourselves accountable to find transformative solutions and supporting the direction of community members leading improvements in their neighborhoods,” said Patz. “We also recognize no one funder can solve this challenge alone, and we look forward to taking steps together with our partners to create long-term, sustainable change.”
By Michele Leivas
Resident Community News
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