March 2001 | |||
Princeville's Town Hall flooded after Hurricane Floyd |
Rebuilding a Community After the Storm Cecil Avery Brown, a Community Builder in HUD’s North Carolina office, knows the value of patience and persistence. After more than a year of planning, hurricane victims in the Princeville area will soon benefit from his work. Following the aftermath of Hurricane Floyd two years ago, a number of concerned citizens decided to form a Community Development Corporation (CDC) in the Tarboro/Princeville area to assist in providing housing for residents. The area received national attention after the Hurricane Floyd leveled most of the houses and businesses in Princeville. After a number of false starts, community leaders contacted Cecil to discuss ways to strengthen the CDC’s capacity and ability to become an active player in the housing production market. Brown suggested that the CDC team up with the North Carolina Baptist Convention and build single family houses in Princeville. He also assisted the CDC to become a Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) by providing technical assistance and helping to complete the paperwork. In January the CDC received notification that the CHDO designation had been granted. With a $200,000 rural development grant from HUD, a 15-acre tract of land and the newly awarded CHDO status, the CDC can now become an active player in the redevelopment of Princeville.
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