POMPANO BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Habitat for Humanity of Broward broke ground to build a community in Pompano Beach.
The nonprofit started their biggest build in the county on Tuesday morning.
“This is a community, but it’s not a walled off community. This is part of Pompano Beach, and that’s what’s the great part about it,” said Pompano Beach Mayor Rex Hardin. “It’s a community within a community, and it is embracing everybody who already lives here. That’s the concept behind this.”
Habitat for Humanity joined forces with Marine Industries Association of South Florida for the latest project.
Together they are providing affordable, brand-new homes to first-time homeowners and well-paying jobs to help make that happen.
“The Habitat model is not just a project. It is a community we got coming out of the ground here,” said Hardin.
Their goal is to establish a community-first approach to building a better future.
“What intrigues us and why we support Habitat is that it’s a hand up, not a hand out,” said a volunteer.
The new project is a Rick Case Habitat Community with more than six dozen homes atop nine acres of land in Pompano Beach.
The area will be transformed into a vibrant neighborhood of single-family homes where a community support system is encouraged and local residents are embraced.
“It’s a tremendous opportunity, this location, that we had this kind of land available,” said Hardin. “It’s right near the employment center. It’s near transportation networks. It’s near the educational component. We’re going to have a park here for the surrounding local area residents to enjoy.”
Workers and volunteers were out on the nine-acre property to help create the community consisting of 77 houses, Tuesday.
“We think houses are great, and it’s something that we’ll always do, but when you’re able to do a project like this and really get a sense of community around it, it’s a lot different, and the community’s a lot easier to build upon for everyone involved,” said Habitat for Humanity Board Member Alex Busch, “so it’s one of those things that we think makes a real footprint in a city like this.”
The Rick Case Automotive Group, JM Family Enterprises and Bank of America are three of the biggest sponsors of the development, the need for which they said is tremendous.
“This is a 77 home build sponsored by the Rick Case Community. We are delighted and grateful for the participation of the Case family,” said Broward Habitat for Humanity Board Chairman Robert Taylor.
In Broward County, 80% of residents cannot afford a median-priced home.
“It’s not just an issue of charity. It’s an issue of societal and business interests as well to come together and unite to solve a critical problem,” said Taylor.
The project has been a decade in the making with an estimated cost of $18 million.
The Case family contributed $500,000 to the project.
WSVN is a proud sponsor of Habitat for Humanity. For more information, follow the links below.
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Miami
305-634-3628
www.miamihabitat.org
Habitat for Humanity of Broward County
954-396-3030
www.habitatbroward.org
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