Jericho Road Hosts Open House In Celebration of National Homeownership Month & Three Years of Central City Revitalization Efforts

Jericho Road recently celebrated three years of Central City revitalization efforts with the completion of its 18th, 19th and 20th homes. In honor of June's National Homeownership Month, the organization hosted an open house on Saturday, June 13th where community members, aspiring homebuyers and friends of Jericho Road had the opportunity to tour three new homes along the 2300 block of Sixth Street. All of the homes are affordably priced for low income working families and individuals. Numerous neighborhood residents attended the event to share information about the ongoing revitalization efforts taking place throughout Central City.
 
Jericho Road Executive Director Brad Powers said, "The response from the community was extremely encouraging. Community members were able to ask questions and receive valuable homebuyer information from our staff while getting to tour Jericho Road's newest homes. Overall, the event was a great success for our organization and the entire Central City community."   
 
Homeownership was on the mind of many interested homebuyers - the majority of whom felt that homeownership should be the number one priority of Central City neighborhoods. Attendees also noted that they were most attracted to the location, culture and unity of Sixth Street. 

Several of Jericho Road's current homeowners, including Mr. Ronald Washington, Ms. Rose Johnson, Ms. LaQuanda Taylor and Mr. Jonathan Stewart, came out in support of Jericho Road and brought along friends and family to see the new houses. Speaking with potential homebuyers about their personal experiences, they explained how Jericho Road's relationship with homeowners continues beyond the actual purchase of a house.
 
Prior to the open house, a tree planting ceremony was held honoring the Episcopal Church Women for their commitment to healthy, energy efficient, affordable housing and generous fundraising efforts on behalf of Jericho Road.

Grinnell Corps Fellow Leads Outreach Rehabilitation Project

Jericho Road's post graduate fellow from Grinnell College, Jan Koszewski, led two volunteer groups in a Central City outreach rehabilitation project throughout the month of June. The outreach project focused on the rehabilitation of three properties located on Sixth Street across from Jericho Road's newest homes. 
 
Jan took the lead on the project, taking on a strenuous task that took almost one month to complete. During the first phase of the project, he directed seven volunteers from All Saints Episcopal Church, located in Montgomery, Alabama, in priming the homes and removing rotted and broken siding. New screen doors, porch railings and new window frames for air conditioning units were also installed.    

Jan said, "The All Saints volunteers went above and beyond their assigned priming tasks and insisted upon using their knowledge of carpentry to ensure that the homes were proofed against further deterioration. They reached out to the residents of the homes and fully embraced their volunteer experience."
 
During the second phase of the rehabilitation project, high school students from Wakefield Country Day School, located in Wakefield, Virginia, assisted Jan and the entire Jericho Road team in painting the three houses. Jan continued, "The young men and women from Wakefield Country Day School were among the best high school volunteers I have ever worked with. They were industrious, detail-oriented and extremely dedicated to their tasks. Jericho Road is extremely grateful for the time and effort they contributed to revitalizing the Central City neighborhood."