JACKSON, MS – A 2.9 million dollar investment is coming to a south Jackson neighborhood.
Habitat for Humanity is building several homes along Greenview Drive starting Saturday. Neighbors are ready to roll up their sleeves to help give their community new life.
It’s been called one of the worst neighborhoods in Jackson. Dozens of abandoned homes lining Greenview Drive but today marks a fresh start for the south Jackson neighborhood.
“We are committing today phase 1 for 20 houses to be built on this street,” says Cindy Griffin with the Mississippi Capital area Habitat for Humanity.
Two point nine million dollars in grants including one from the city of Jackson is making the Mississippi captial area Habitat for Humanity project possible, something neighbors say is long overdue.
“It’s about time, we’ve been waiting on this for a while…,” says resident Chris Coleman.
Another resident, Shavers Houston says,”When the people just abandon their property, I mean it’s too overdue.”
Twenty homes along Greenview to generate a huge economic impact for the area.
Bishop Joseph Kopacz of the Catholic Diocese of Jackson, says “The impact of that is over 5 million dollars, and 50 full time equivalent jobs created with the work here being started today It’s going to be a catalyst, I’m excited about again one home, one block at a time.”
Construction starts Saturday on phase one of the development and to kick it off there was a blessing ceremony – something future Habitat Home owner Shavers Houston says is right on time for him and his family. He says
“I mean it’s a blessing , you know just to be able to know that I’m being able to have a home built in this area–because I’ll just really be re-living my life through my kids.”
Habitat for humanity tells us work on some of the homes will be finished by October with the hopes of moving families in no later than December.
