Saturday events launch homeownership, affordable housing push in Monroe

Two events held Saturday will focus on expanding affordable housing in the Monroe area. 

A family fun day will focus on potential homeowners by providing information on credit repair, paths to homeownership, battling neighborhood blight and potential assistance through Community Development Block Grants. 

Families can also enjoy refreshments, snow cones, hot dogs and games at the event.

Planning and Urban Development Director Ellen Hill said the fun day starts at 11:30 a.m. at Kenneth G. Jackson Memorial Estates at 105 Bernice Drive (off DeSiard Street) and will launch the homeownership component of a new initiative.

JPMorgan Chase, one of Ouachita Parish's largest private employers, committed $110,000 to the local public-private partnership to battle blight in Monroe and boost the dreams of aspiring homeowners.

Potential homeowners can sign up to work with Mount Pleasant Community Development Corporation through financial coaching and counseling for first-time homebuyers.

Via a partnership with Rent-to-credit, the community development corporation will also assist in building participant credit scores. 

"We are calling it 'Home in Monroe' because we know we have people who want to be in our community and sometimes find it challenging to find that house that they can afford," Hill explained. 

Programs launching Saturday will also provide support for entrepreneurs in the community through a Creating Sustainable Neighborhood Developers Program for potential developers of affordable housing.

"This has been a real 18-month journey for us, working with Mount Pleasant Community Development Corporation and Southern University Baton Rouge to develop this pilot that Chase has decided to fund to not just deal with developing homeowners. We realize that in order to have homeowners we need homes," Hill said. 

The program, an adaptation of Southern University's 12-week emerging developer certification, will take place on Saturdays from Sept. 14 through Dec. 14 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m at the Public Safety Center, 1810 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. 

Participants can register online at www.subruniversitycenter.org for $50. Over the 12-week course, participants will learn about small business fundamentals, licenses, permits, insurance, construction documentation, project management and more.

"This has been a journey, and the second half of this journey starts on Saturday," Hill said. "We are excited, and we look forward to this program lasting. It's a significant investment in moving us forward."