Historic Eastside
In 1887, three adjacent communities were annexed by the City of Jacksonville to form Eastside Jacksonville: East Jacksonville, Oakland and Fairfield. Historic Eastside, as it is called today, is a community located directly to the east of Downtown Jacksonville and Historic Springfield. One of the city’s oldest urban core neighborhoods, it is home to Jacksonville’s sports and entertainment complex, including TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville Fairgrounds, VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena and the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.
The program, funded by LISC Jacksonville and LIFT JAX, will provide down payment assistance and a homeownership training curriculum to the participants over the course of 12 months. Following successful completion of the program, the participants – all of whom are Jacksonville natives and are employed in various industries – will be able to purchase and build a new home on existing vacant lots in Historic Eastside.
“Our goal with Project Boots is to disrupt poverty and change the trajectory and narrative of Jacksonville’s most under-resourced communities, starting with the Eastside,” said LISC Jacksonville Executive Director Dr. Irvin “PeDro” Cohen. “Project Boots is about providing support mechanisms to increase homeownership – a historically essential component in creating generational wealth – and inviting folks back to the neighborhoods, in which some of them grew up in. These residents are passionate about their communities and will demand more for their neighborhood, helping uplift the community as a whole in the process.”
To successfully complete the Project Boots program and purchase their new home, the participants must meet a monthly savings requirement, which will be matched by the program during the 12-month program commitment. They must also complete the 12 homeownership training sessions, which will cover areas such as financial components of homeownership, using homeownership as a wealth-building mechanism, health-related topics, home maintenance, and others. The sessions will be led by LISC Jacksonville and various subject-matter experts.
“The Eastside is the first step in a larger, three-year initiative to support homeownership in other neighborhoods throughout Jacksonville that have historically very low rates of homeownership,” added Cohen. “Our plan is to replicate this process in neighborhoods such as Durkeeville, North Riverside, and others. In doing so, we begin to positively change the fabric of these communities by increasing homeownership and brining greater capacity back to some of our traditional neighborhoods. It truly comes down to improving the quality of life of the people who live in these areas to helping them become more financially sound and build wealth for themselves, their children and their grandchildren.”
Project Boots new construction click here, Project Boots resale homes click here.
