THESE GARDENS BEAR FRUIT!

From left, Kenneth Naylor, Chief Operating Officer, Affordable Housing Division, Atlantic Pacific Communities; Sheryl Woods, President, YMCA South Florida; Fort Lauderdale Commissioner Robert L. McKinzie; Fort Lauderdale Housing Authority Commissioner Shirley Carson; Scott Strawbridge, Director of Development & Facilities, Housing Authority of the City of Fort Lauderdale; city of Fort Lauderdale Commissioner Dean J. Trantalis.

Recently, the Housing Authority of the City of Fort Lauderdale celebrated the grand opening of Northwest Gardens V, the final phase of Northwest Gardens.

Northwest Gardens is a master-planned, affordable housing community located near downtown Fort Lauderdale that provides housing to low-income families and seniors.

The seeds for Northwest Gardens were planted in 2005, with the assistance of HUD funding used for demolition. This began the transformation and redevelopment of one of the most impoverished areas in Broward, into a flourishing neighborhood that residents are proud to call home.

Today, Northwest Gardens boasts a vibrant residential community that provides an array of programs designed to empower its residents to undertake educational, economical, and social and health wellness endeavors. Programs and amenities offered to Northwest Gardens residents include employment opportunities, education and vocational training, mental and physical wellness, funding to support local youth and social entrepreneurs, solar lighting, wi-fi hotspots, community gardens and an urban farm.

Funding for phase V of Northwest Gardens was made possible by using low-income housing tax credits to construct 100 new units and rehabilitate 100 units on portions of two parcels of land that had previously contained public housing units. Northwest Gardens will provide housing for 200 low-income senior citizens at or below 60 percent of the area median income.

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