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Neighborhood's new homes build hope
© St. Petersburg Times, published October 18, 2000 A new day dawned Friday for a Tarpon Springs neighborhood that seemed to face a cloudy future. Ground was broken for a new home in the Union Academy neighborhood south of downtown. The neighborhood, which has a substantial population of low-income residents as well as older property owners who no longer can keep up their homes, has been deteriorating. Now, a turnaround is being forecast. How can one home make such a difference? It would seem logical that it couldn't. But this home will be built by Clearwater Neighborhood Housing Services, which established a track record of success during the 1990s at rebuilding neighborhoods one home at a time. Clearwater Neighborhood Housing doesn't go into a blighted neighborhood, throw up a new but substandard home and then disappear. The homes the agency builds look good and are high-quality construction, immediately raising standards on any street where they are built. And they aren't cheap. The house for which ground was broken Friday will sell in the low to mid $90,000s, but will be affordable for low-income families because of government subsidies. Clearwater Neighborhood Housing also takes an interest in improving neighborhood economics in other ways. In Clearwater, for example, the non-profit agency has worked to encourage new businesses in low-income neighborhoods. Meanwhile, it has built or renovated dozens of homes, even constructing whole new subdivisions in poor areas. Clearwater Neighborhood Housing plans to build three homes in the Union Academy area of Tarpon Springs, and its contributions are bound to be a plus. But other groups also are working to provide new or improved housing in the same neighborhood. Pinellas Habitat for Humanity began building homes in the neighborhood in September 1999, using volunteers and money contributed by local churches. Its first home is nearly finished. If it can raise the funds, the organization wants to build about 18 homes in Tarpon Springs, most near Mango Circle. That many new homes concentrated in one area will have a substantial effect. In addition to those efforts, the Tarpon Springs Housing Authority hopes to create more high-quality, affordable housing in the area, and some private property owners are renovating existing homes or planning to build new ones. The new focus on an area that has long suffered a lack of attention and resources must be especially exciting to the Union Academy Neighborhood Oversight Committee, a group overseeing the implementation of an ambitious revitalization plan for the Union Academy neighborhood. Providing better housing is only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to bringing new life to a declining neighborhood. But it is a vitally important one. New homes built by non-profit agencies offer people who never hoped to own a home the opportunity to become property owners. New homes encourage other neighbors to fix up their properties so they will compare more favorably. New homes give neighborhoods an air of prosperity that attracts other new development, both residential and commercial. And a better-looking neighborhood inspires pride, which opens all sorts of new horizons for struggling communities and their residents. Congratulations to all those who are bringing a new day to Union Academy.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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From the Times North Pinellas desks |
