Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 10-1-19

Feature
Homeownership Through ‘Sound And Secure Housing’ Initiative Is A Dream Come True
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
Helga Torres’ dream came true on Thursday when she cut the ribbon on her new home.
Torres, 44, is the recipi- ent of one of two homes re- cently built under the Sound & Secure Housing, an attain- able housing program launched by the University Area Community Develop- ment Corporation (UACDC).
The lease-to-purchase initiative offers single-parent families the opportunity to establish a safe home envi- ronment in the University Area community.
Torres said she’s excited that she and her 9-year-old son, Javier now have a place to call their own.
“I want to be stable in one place,” she said. “He can feel like ‘this is my home...’and grow up in a good commu- nity.”
For some years now the corporation has focused on attainable housing and cre- ated Harvest Hope, a land banking program and teamed with partners on the renovation of apartment complexes.
While it’s important to map out plans to help Uni- versity Area residents im- prove their quality of life, it’s equally important to execute those plans and show tangi- ble results, said Sarah Combs, University Area CDC’s Chief Executive Offi- cer.
“This community has been promised a lot of things in the past and it’s time we produced,” she said.
Sound & Secure homes are single-family units con-
Vincent Jackson, former Tampa Bay Buccaneer, of CTV Capital.
It was a team effort to bring Sound & Secure from idea to reality, said former NFL player, Vincent Jack- son, whose firm CTV Capi- tal, helped secure funding for
the program.
“We had to roll up our
sleeves,” he said. “It was re- freshing to see the hands that came out to help with this project.”
Jackson said he’s look- ing forward to more innova- tive programs to bring attainable housing to the University Area.
“This is a beautiful com- munity,” he said. “To see the families and see their emo- tions – that’s what it’s about for us.”
For Torres, it’s about putting down roots and giv- ing her family a place to call home.
“It’s a blessing for me,” she said. “I’ve been praying for this blessing for a long time.”
From left: Sarah Combs, University Area CDC Chief Executive Officer, Helga Torres, Sound & Secure homeowner, and Rep. Fen- trice Driskell.
structed in a factory and later moved to a lot. The process
takes about 30 days, Combs said.
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