JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A relatively new nonprofit is developing some of Jacksonville’s most challenged neighborhoods and is making progress one property at a time.
Right now, Fruit of Barren Trees (FOBT) is cleaning up two abandoned and crumbling houses and making them livable again at affordable prices. The two areas are a mile apart off Boulevard Street and off Myrtle Avenue.
It’s giving neighbors a sense of pride, which the group hopes will be contagious.
In a neighborhood that quite frankly could use some love, FOBT founder and CEO Rebecca Williams is sowing hope.
“We’ve added in all modern amenities completely changed the outlets, completely gutted the kitchen, there was a huge wall here that we normally back with just a little insert right there. So we opened it up a little bit,” Williams said Friday while touring one of the properties.
The before and after pictures show the transformation. From plumbing problems to no AC, the Boulevard Street duplex was a piece of work.
“It is on the market now for rent. For $1,100,” Williams said.
That’s lower than other homes in the area.
“So right now for two-bedroom, full bath, right now we’re seeing about $1,420 to $1,450 on the market,” Williams said.
It’s a bright spot in an area where there’s trash on the sidewalks and abandoned buildings on every block, and it’s a small fix for Jacksonville’s affordable housing crisis.
Williams, who runs the nonprofit and for-profit arm of the business, said it’s necessary.
“We provide a niche that I think is called elevated affordable housing, which is basically bringing the dignity back to communities and neighborhoods that have traditionally had check-the-box opportunities,” she said.
Williams grew up not too far away in the Brentwood neighborhood. She went to Washington DC and worked in affordable housing for Fannie Mae but returned to her hometown about three years ago with a mission: to start a nonprofit that relies on donations and grants.
Her group works two ways: buying and rehabbing distressed properties and giving interest-free loans and resources so longtime homeowners can revitalize their own houses and gain generational wealth. The duplex on Boulevard Street is still owned by the original family which the group loaned money to for the overhaul.
This comes as the Jacksonville Housing Authority’s voucher waitlist tops 145,000 people and rents continue to rise.
On Myrtle Avenue, Riley Evans struck up a conversation with News4JAX and said people in the area don’t have enough to do, access to good jobs or enough resources.
“Just make the neighborhood a little better,” Evans said.
Soon, an abandoned church will be the nonprofit’s new headquarters and a two-story office building and will provide space and jobs for others in the area. The group is fixing six homes nearby.
“What do you say to people who maybe don’t trust your plan? Don’t think it’s going to be successful or they think it’s not good for the people who were born and raised here,” News4JAX asked Williams.
“So I mean, I was born and raised here. So that’s the first thing I say. The second thing I say is our proof of concept has been proved even because the community has told us...They’ve told us the value that we bring, they’ve shown us the value we add by their intentionality with wanting to be a part of it,” she said.
Jacksonville City Council member Nick Howland said the program is promising.
“Rebecca and her team are delivering much-needed affordable housing and workforce development opportunities to residents of the historic, underserved Durkeeville neighborhood. City Council is proud to support FOBT’s efforts alongside LISC, private funders, and local employers.”
Howland pushed for $165,000 in city funding in 2022 and $225,000 in 2023, which the council approved. This includes paying for a workforce development initiative in Durkeville.
Fruit of Barren Trees is a small piece of a big puzzle.
The group, which is comprised of mainly volunteers, promises to plant seeds that will bear fruit for generations to come.
To learn more about the group, to get involved with the projects, or to make a donation to help fund more projects, go to its website.
It’s currently trying to raise $60,000 for the next phase. The goal within five years is to revitalize 40 properties.