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East Tampa’s CRA Housing Rehabilitation Initiative
To Assist Residents
The East Tampa Commu- nity Redevelopment Agen- cy (CRA) has budgeted nearly $2.5 million in FY22 to fur- ther the CRA Board’s hous- ing affordability and rehabilitation initiatives. This is being done to provide di- rect support to residents within the East Tampa CRA boundaries at the request of the East Tampa Community Advisory Com- mittee.
The East Tampa CRA has allocated nearly a million dol- lars in grant money collected through Tax Increment Funding (TIF) dol- lars, for housing rehabilita- tion. Residents who live in the
East Tampa CRA bound- aries and meet income and other requirements, can qual- ify for up to $40,000 per household to make exterior façade upgrades, minor landscaping upgrades, and more.
Homeowners like Ernest Braxton, who lives in East Tampa, will be able to apply for the grant money to reha- bilitate his home. Braxton has been struggling to main- tain his property since a large tree fell on his house more than a year ago, damaging his roof.
While the tree has been re- moved, the East Tampa CRA and other City and commu-
nity partners have been dili- gently working to help him fix the rest of the exterior and landscaping problems his home is facing.
The East Tampa CRA has also allocated an addi- tional $1.5M in TIF funds.
Residents within the East Tampa CRA boundaries who have properties that are se- verely dilapidated will be able to apply for assistance to de- molish the existing structure and rebuild it.
Requests For Proposal (RFP) is being formulated now, and will be presented to the CRA Board for discussion and approval in the coming months.
East Tampa CRA Hires Housing Specialist
VANASSA ROSS ...New East Tampa CRA Housing Specialist
The East Tampa Commu- nity Redevelopment Area (CRA) of the City of Tampa announces the hiring of hous- ing specialist Vanassa Ross for the East Tampa CRA team.
Ross will focus on provid- ing affordable housing pro- grams and expertise to the East Tampa community. She will also closely monitor the new grant-funded programs.
She will work alongside Cedric McCray, East Tampa CRA Manager, who was hired last June to oversee the East Tampa CRA, one of the largest community redevelopment areas in the State of Florida.
“The addition of Ross to the East Tampa CRA Office positions the team to expedi- tiously move forward with de- veloping and implementing CRA-initiated housing pro- grams to address the afford- able and workforce needs of the East Tampa commu- nity,” McCray said. “Afford- able housing is a top priority for the City. The CRA Board, along with Mayor Castor, are laser-focused on finding solutions to the hous- ing challenges facing our com- munity.”
“Home prices continue to rise in East Tampa,” said Council Chairman Or- lando Gudes, who serves as a CRA Board mem- ber. “We need to ensure that everyone in Tampa is able to live in the neighborhood they want to. That includes out-of- the box thinking and creative solutions like these grants to help people stay in their homes.”
“The East Tampa CRA is a critical part in supporting the community,” said CRA Board Chairman Joseph
Citro. “We are making sure the people of East Tampa have access to the resources necessary to help support their families and live in a safe and affordable home.”
Mayor Jane Castor re- mains committed to providing 10,000 affordable housing units by 2027.
“Every Tampa family, re- gardless of how much money they make, should be able to live in our great city,” Mayor Jane Castor said. “We need to tackle the issue of housing affordability from all angles. That includes having effective programs like these at the East Tampa CRA, in place to bridge the gap be- tween the supply side and the demand side of the equation.”
A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Ms. Ross made her home in Valdosta, GA for nearly 25 years. While there, she directed the City of Val- dosta’s Neighborhood Devel- opment Division.
An interest in home build- ing projects and having started a similar business, has equipped Ms. Ross for the job she has been hired for in Tampa.
A daughter and grandson in the Tampa community, drew Ms. Ross to the area. She eventually decided to make Tampa her home as well.
Ms. Ross is the mother of six productive adults (five girls and one boy) ages 30 – 22, and Mama V to 3 and a half grandsons (one due in April); who live, work and serve all around the world. In her downtimes, she enjoys traveling, crime investigative shows and completing home building and DIY projects.
Ms. Ross earned her Bachelor of Applied Science and Master of Education in Adult and Career Education, with a concentration in Work- force Education and Develop- ment degrees from Valdosta State University.
She was very active in the Valdosta community, serving on several board and even served on the School Board for 9 years.
(Sentinel Editor Gwen Hayes contributed to the development of this arti- cle).
FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 2022 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY PAGE 5-A