On December 7th, the Tallahassee City Commission voted 5-0 to approve the selection committee’s recommendation for authorizing the Tallahassee Urban League to administer $900,000 in funds allocated for a Frenchtown Housing Rehab Program.
Curtis Taylor, the President & CEO of the Tallahassee Urban League, thanked officials for the award and said, “We want to transform Frenchtown.”
The Frenchtown Neighborhood First Plan established a neighborhood action plan which includes, “implement a comprehensive housing rehabilitation program that provides grants and loans for interior and exterior home repairs/improvements.” The plan also indicates that the Frenchtown neighborhood would like to focus all home renovations first in one section of the neighborhood, “in order to concentrate as much impact as possible in a defined area.”
The Tallahassee Community Redevelopment Agency approved $900,000 for the administration of the Frenchtown Housing Rehab Program on July 1, 2021. The goal of the program is to help Frenchtown residents to live in safe and affordable housing by providing homeowners and landlords with a 5-year forgivable loan for housing repairs. Eligible individuals which are awarded the grant will receive the loan at 0% interest, with deferred payments.
Funds will be administrated by a contractor and provided to a homeowner for housing repairs. The maximum funding for owner-occupied units is $25,000 and $17,500 for renter-occupied units. However, homeowners must repay the outstanding balance of the loan upon the occurrence of any instance of default.
The selection committee received one bid in response to its Request for Proposal (Tallahassee Urban League). After a meeting on November 3rd, the committee decided to recommend that the city commission approve the contract being assigned to the Tallahassee Urban League. The selected organization will receive payment for their work in the administrative oversight of the 32 grants eligible for home improvements.
City Commission Selects Tallahassee Urban League to Implement Frenchtown Project added by Tristyn Leigh on
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Let’s be honest. The black community of Frenchtown and the black community of Gadsden County is content with there life. Instead of striving to get off government assistance, they exploit the situation for more free money and healthcare. What evidence is there to the contrary. I attended Griffen Middle School between 1972 and 1974. What has changed in the black community since then? Crime has gotten a lot worse and welfare queens are making more than FSU grads. And our local government just throws more money at the problem without specific goals and no benchmarks or a matrix to judge the success of the money. Well politicians do expect “souls to the polls” to reelect them. So don’t pee down my back and tell me it’s raining. All the money in the world isn’t going to do anything to change the mindset of Frenchtown. They were government dependant 7 decades ago and they will be living off the taxpayer’s dime 7 decades from now. Until you cut the money off and tell them swim or sink, the honest hardworking taxpayer will be screwed for a large chunk of there income in income tax payments. When is Frenchtown going to repay all the help the taxpayer has given them? How about they host a fund raiser to repay us all the money we have given them. At least try to get ahead. Pay attention in school and take a few advanced placement classes. Try not to get a criminal records so maybe you could join the military. And how about not getting pregnant/knocking up a dozen women who’s babies you cannot afford to support. At least end giving tax refunds to welfare queens that didn’t pay a dime in taxes. Visit Harvey’s grocery store when EBT cards are recharge. I have seen a box of snow crab claws purchased with an EBT card. I may have to pay taxes til I die but you will never convience me that the majority of Frenchtowns residends wants anything other than a handout.
Mr Six
Very interesting. I wonder if there is any correlation; hence, prompting the Trulieve layoffs?
I went to Hartsfield, Fairview, Rickards, TCC and FSU, I can remember at least four, maybe five attempts to gentrify Frenchtown. It was never better than when the Tropicana was the place to go when no one else had any reefer, the brothers at the Tropicana always had reefer. It was like going to Trulieve in 1979.
I think the commission knows exactly what they are doing…
Mr Ed Asks…
… “Why would you give the funds directly to the “homeowner”.
I believe they call it vote buying. Another taxpayer funded boondoggle whereby everyone at the nonprofits profit, then they celebrate at the Chamber’s Buffalo Pool Party every year. An example of where nonprofits get their money to pay for their expenses at the Buffalo Pool Party. Have you ever looked at the list of nonprofits attending the chamber junket?
David Hawkins. I’m happy to finally see 1 year of expenses “wasted” on the Northeast instead of 3 generations of city funds “improving” the south side.
@ Resident Since 1990: You must not have been paying attention over the last Year or Two. Your beloved North Side will be getting a LOT of Tax Dollars spent on it in the way of a Project called Northgate. The widening of Roads in Killearn Estates to move Cars faster from Bradfordville to Centerville as well as from Bradfordville to Appalachee Parkway. PLUS you are getting a Park put in around the Power Station / Grid there Off Thomasville between Market Street and McClay, PLUS a Couple $Million being spent to purchase Property and rebuild an old School House. Yeah, you’re going to see some Money being spent (and Wasted) on the Northside soon.
“Funds will be administrated by a contractor and provided to a homeowner for housing repairs.”
And there my friends you find the sneaky little devil in the details… Why would you give the funds directly to the “homeowner” (who apparently can’t afford the repairs in the first place) instead of disbursing the funds to the contractor upon a validation of and verifiable completion of the work? It’s like handing a crackhead $5000 in cash and expecting him to attend and pay for treatment.
Chalk up another million in tax dollars gone… without accountability.
I get so tired ,year, after year, after year, seeing my Northeast tax dollars go to Tallahassee south side. When are the citizens north of I-10 going to secede from the city? Seriously. I’m ready to move elsewhere.
Did we rehab french town a while back? Isnt that that stuff on Macomb?
OK as you all know I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed BUT:
In paragraph 5 we see its a 5-year forgivable loan.
Then down in paragraph 6 we see that owners must repay the outstanding balance upon any instance of default.
So how can anyone repay a ” forgivable loan “???
SO, is the Tallahassee Urban League the Contractor or do they HIRE a Contractor to handle the actual handing out the Money?
How much is the Tallahassee Urban League being Paid to over see this Project?
Will the Tallahassee Urban League also stay on top of the payments to make sure that 100% of it gets used to improve the Property?
If all the Grants are $25,000, the 32 Grants add up to $800,000, is the $100,000 difference the Payment going to the Tallahassee Urban League?
The best way to improve Frenchtown is a bulldozer. Save one lot for the historic designation building but this place is an eyesore and an embarrassment and it’s time to stop the pretense. The amounts allotted are too low to make any difference so there will not be any added value. Cut your losses.
To the residences of Frenchtown…do not wait for the Government to solve YOUR problems. Take responsibilty for your life, solve your challenges and problems, and take a good look in the mirror. It is the mirror that shows who is PRIMARILY responsibility for your life.