Milw. resident excited to have been selected for Habitat program

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity unveiled Thursday, April 4th -- a significant new strategy that will enable the organization to better build communities and serve more families by adding an array of home repair services and neighborhood development activities to its long-standing and well-known new home construction program.  The new Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative (NRI) will initially target the Washington Park neighborhood.

For the past 20 years, Rosalind Cox has lived in the Washington Park neighborhood. Through the years, she has watched her house and neighborhood begin to fall apart.

But she recently learned she's getting a little help.

"When they said yes, I`m like wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! That was a joy. It was a wonderful feeling," Cox said.

Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity just announced its new Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative.

"Over the next five years, Milwaukee Habitat will invest nearly $20 million worth of construction and repair services and neighborhood improvement initiatives in the Washington Park Neighborhood," Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Brian Sonderman said.

Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity hopes to make repairs on 125 to 150 homes over a five-year span.

They are focusing on helping the elderly, people with disabilities, single-parent households, and veterans.

"Our program will provide funding up to $15,000 and then that can be financed up to five years at 0% interest and at most they would pay back 40%," Sonderman said.

Residents like Cox are thrilled to see an organization take an interest in improving her neighborhood.

"I think the joy of family, community, neighborhood is going to be restored. It`s going to be revitalized I think," Cox said.

To learn more about the Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative you can log onto http://www.milwaukeehabitat.org/pages/view/becoming/6.