On the Road Across America
A Daily Journal from the Homeownership Express!

When HUD's "Homeownership Express" pulled into Jacksonville, it was carrying two valuable pieces of cargo: a busload of resources to help families build new lives in homes of their own, and news that Florida would be receiving $62 million in federal grants to help shelter its people and strengthen its communities.

The dollars will go toward rental housing development, homeownership assistance, housing rehabilitation, preventing homelessness, transitional housing for former prisoners, public facilities and infrastructure, community development projects, economic development, technical assistance, and meeting other critically important local needs.

"For years, these funds have built and rehabilitated homes, fueled business development to create jobs, and improved the overall health of our nation's communities," said HUD Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development Roy Bernardi. "These funds are designed by each individual community to best meet unique local needs."

The visit by the Homeownership Express created the perfect opportunity to celebrate the strong partnership that has united HUD with the City of Jacksonville, Habijax (the Jacksonville branch of Habitat for Humanity), the Jacksonville Housing Authority, and other key players dedicated to creating housing opportunities for the people of Jacksonville.

Over the past few years, this collective effort has been instrumental in opening the doors of homeownership to more than 400 residents of public housing alone.

"What you have achieved here in Jacksonville demonstrates more vividly than words what we can accomplish when government, nonprofits, housing authorities, volunteers, and local businesses join together to help our neighbors achieve the American Dream," said Assistant Secretary Bernardi.

Habitat for Humanity's success is proof that organizations rooted in faith are indeed changing America - one life at a time, one home at a time. Thousands of grassroots organizations around the country that aren't necessarily as big as Habitat have hearts that are equally large, and they're anxious to partner with the federal government to better serve their communities.

That's exactly what the President's Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships is all about: removing the barriers that block grassroots organizations from reaching out even further and touching even more lives.

Assistant Secretary Bernardi was joined in Jacksonville by Brian Noyes, HUD's Regional Director for the Southeast/Caribbean; city officials; community leaders; Habijax Director Joe Honeycutt; Jacksonville Housing Authority Director Ronnie Ferguson; and other key non-profit organizations.

Tomorrow: Prosperity through homeownership in Orlando

Content Archived: May 3, 2010