ATLANTA (ABP) — Sowing Seeds of Hope, a community and economic development organization affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, has received a $338,000 federal grant for the creation of a self-help housing initiative in depressed Perry County, Ala.
The CBF rural poverty initiative, now called Together for Hope, is a 20-year initiative. Founded in 2001, the program addresses poverty in the poorest rural communities nationwide.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Office of Rural Development announced Aug. 15 that the grant would be used to administer loans to low-income families, who will build their own homes.
“This is great news for Perry County,” U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) said in a news release.
The grant will fund four employees and a portion of the salary for executive director Frances Ford. Applicants to the program must still qualify for a loan, which comes in addition to the grant. More than 140 applications from local residents have already gained acceptance to the program. Planners expect to build 20 custom-designed homes within two years.
“Many of the applicants are living in substandard homes at this time, and all of a sudden they are going to be living in new homes — energy efficient homes that are affordable,” Ford said. “At the end of the 2-year period, we will have 20 new homes, and that will make an impact and a difference.”
This is the first time in 20 years that a self-help housing grant has been awarded to an Alabama organization.
“Only so much can be done to renovate houses,” said Tom Prevost, national coordinator for Together for Hope. “Enabling community members to participate in building new homes improves their individual assets, as well as appearance and property values within the immediate neighborhood.”
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