JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville church is bringing affordable houses to Jacksonville’s Eastside. Affordable housing is a consistent issue as inflation continues to make homeownership more difficult for certain communities.
One million people in Florida spend more than 50% of their income on housing. That’s according to the Florida Policy Project, which calls housing affordability in the state a “crisis.”
The “In the Word” International Church is working to address that by increasing financial literacy, homeowner education, and creating more resources for its community.
For 16 years, the church has envisioned bringing affordable houses to the Eastside. They have partnered with contractors, realtors, donors in the private sector, and the government to come up with creative ways to get people into homes.
News4JAX spoke to a woman, who didn’t want to be shown on camera, on Wednesday about receiving an affordable home after a yearlong process. We got to watch her sign the dotted line and speak with her about the struggles of finding a home.
“I’m excited,” she said when asked how she felt. “This is an opportunity that feels so unreal.”
This major accomplishment wasn’t done on her own. The woman began this process after meeting In the Word International Church Bishop Harry Williams through a prayer group.
“From homelessness to a homeowner. From not knowing if I’m going to have enough to pay bills, to having an affordable mortgage — it is amazing,” she said.
Williams told News4JAX that the church provides the funds to keep deserving individuals in their community, and those people don’t have to be members of the church.
“What’s in it for me, it’s just to see, number one, to see the people that are from that neighborhood, being able to experience what we see when we go the other neighborhoods,” said Bishop Williams. “They have accessibility to nice homes.”
He elaborated that the Eastside is experiencing rapid growth despite having been previously disregarded as a neighborhood where few desired to reside. The bishop compared Jacksonville’s Eastside, or “Out East,” to the “pretty girl” everyone overlooks. But now that there are talks of the Emerald Trail coming through the area, and talks of a soccer stadium, Williams said locals are going to give the area more attention.
Williams said they can “keep the community in their community” by finding people who would not otherwise be able to afford a house there. He wants them to be able to walk into their house with equity and also spread the message that affordable housing is attainable if you have the right team of people behind you.
Williams told News4JAX his team made renovations where they didn’t have to and gave opportunities to contractors who they say don’t often get a chance to show what they can do.
“If you ask anybody else, there’s a lot of people out there struggling saying that they cannot find affordable housing,” Williams said. “In this neighborhood, let me start here. As I said before, affordable homes are anything that we can afford. I think the problem is, this whole process scares people.”
Between the bankers, the realtor, and whoever else was needed – the church found a way to get it done. The new homeowner told News4JAX the church saw her as an individual and someone they wanted to help.
“Bishop Harry and ‘In the Word’ made sacrifices for me to get this property,” the woman said. “Like, they didn’t get any benefits from it. Usually, a seller gets a whole lot. But they just wanted to make sure that I got a place to call home.”
She said they wouldn’t let her give up and she’s so glad she didn’t.
In addition to this initiative, this church has been serving the community in various ways through community pantries, youth mentorship programs and so much more.
If you would like to volunteer or speak with the church about affordable housing opportunities, call 904-887-0313. You can also visit In the Word International Church’s website here.
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