Gainesville Housing Authority, City of Gainesville awarded federal housing planning grant
Press release from City of Gainesville
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Gainesville Housing Authority (GHA) and the City of Gainesville have been awarded a $500,000 FY 2023 Choice Neighborhood Planning Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The joint application was one of 14 chosen nationwide during a highly competitive process and included a “Transformation Plan” to support the revitalization of GHA’s Pine Meadows and Lake Terrace properties in East Gainesville near Fred Cone Park.
“The Choice Neighborhood Planning Grant represents a golden opportunity to uplift our community and bring about lasting positive change,” said Pamela Davis, CEO of the GHA.
“We are excited to work alongside the City of Gainesville, our residents, neighbors, and community partners to create an implementable plan that will bring a brighter future for our community,” said Davis.
The strategic partnership between the GHA and the City marks a significant step toward turning the East University Avenue neighborhood into a thriving, inclusive, and vibrant place for residents. This aligns with goals prioritized by the Gainesville City Commission and promoted by Mayor Harvey Ward, who has emphasized the need for innovative projects in East Gainesville since taking office in January.
“I’m thrilled for our entire community and particularly for East Gainesville,” said Mayor Ward. “This is exactly the sort of transformational opportunity I had in mind when I made the motion nearly two years ago for the city to partner with the Gainesville Housing Authority. It’s the kind of visionary, working relationship that HUD tends to reward and that will change thousands of lives for the better in our city.”
The application earned 90 out of a maximum 104 points and was scored on factors including need, soundness of approach, and leverage for planning. The two-year plan includes opportunities to engage residents and community stakeholders in creating a vision for the East University Avenue neighborhood.
Choice Neighborhood Planning Grants support the development of comprehensive neighborhood revitalization plans to replace distressed public housing or other HUD-assisted housing with high-quality, mixed-income housing. Transformation plans must focus on directing resources to address three core goals: Housing, People, and Neighborhood. More information can be found through this link.
Hopefully they won’t squander the $$$$$$.
You have jokes 🤣.
The City filled out the application? Like most everything else, I’m confident in their ability to cheat/lie/misrepresent/steal funding for their “pet” projects.The Fed better put an auditor on this. Ward and his cronies are bound to find a way to redirect funds to somewhere other than it’s intended destination.
Who am I kidding? The Fed doesn’t care, they’re good at giving away money and we know what Ward’s good at.
The key ingredient to revitalization is changing people’s hearts and minds to create stable families where Mom and Dad stay married. It’s in those families that kids get the most out of the opportunities available to them. The money will probably make everything worse if hearts and minds don’t change.
🛑 Heyyy! You know the Gainesville city commissioners and the Gainesville Housing Authority 👀
Is this $500,000 to study the afordable housing need or is it $500,000 to build afordable housing? If it is to build, that is enough money for 2 of those 850 square foot houses. Then again with the efficiency of the City of Gainesville maybe 1 house.
Watch closely folks and see just how fast city hall can make that $500,000 dissappear. Don’t believe it, just look at the million$ that vanished through the Reichert House over the past ten years.
I appreciate that good people are doing what they can to address affordable housing. I hope this Planning Grant is an effective step in this process.
The county just coughed up $350,000 for GRACE and GCC just got $500,000. The county must cancel their donation! Let the city pay for it now.
https://alachuachronicle.com/alachua-county-commission-approves-350000-to-fund-grace-street-outreach-team-for-one-year/
🛑 Pam Davis has “No” Problem asking for Government money but if you ask her for help as a Resident she’ll tell you that she’s hands Off, Now she’s Front & Center, Hypocrite 🛑
🛑 Remember the Riechert House, These people All have the same way of thinking about Someone else’s Money, It’s Gainesville 🛑.