CEOs, presidents and chief financial officers from 24 beaches businesses gathered Friday to work on four homes in the Mayport area in partnership with Beaches Habitat for Humanity.
“It just speaks volumes about the investment by leaders in our community in the Jacksonville beaches area. I like to say Jacksonville beaches are a community of heart,” said Curtis Ford, president and CEO of Beaches Habitat for Humanity.
Work outside two of the homes involved installing a wheelchair ramp and a track system inside that allows children confined to a wheelchair to move around their home more easily.
“Once they reach the front door, they are able to move from the wheelchair into a seat connected to a track system and move about the house,” explained Ford.
One in five families at the beach must choose between spending money on a safe place to live and spending money on groceries, health care, education or reliable transportation. Beaches Habitat for Humanities is a nonprofit organization that works with eligible families to fulfill their dream of homeownership. Families can apply and must be at or below 80% of the area median income to be eligible.
“Families must also provide at least 300 hours of ‘sweat equity’ on either their home or on homes that we are working on,” explained Ford, who said the application process will open very soon. “Additionally, we are going to look for families most in need, those families that are paying excessive rent where they live or live in substandard conditions, they get extra consideration as well as the income limits.”
Beaches Habitat for Humanity is working on a few homes in Mayport Village this year and is planning to build a community of 30 homes starting next year. If you are interested in applying, visit beacheshabitat.org.
The organization always needs volunteers.
“Sometimes people think you have to bring skills and that is not the case,” explained Ford. “If you can hold a paintbrush, if you can caulk, if you can lay sod, there are so many things we can do outside.”
If you would like to volunteer, call 904-595-5791.