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LISC Jacksonville Partners with Northside Coalition of Jacksonville to Launch Down Payment Assistance Program

6.15.2022
New program will provide down payment assistance, financial wellbeing courses for new home buyers in select zip codes

Jacksonville, Fla. – June 15, 2022 – LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation) Jacksonville announces today a new partnership with the Northside Coalition of Jacksonville, Inc. to implement a new Down Payment Assistance Program for prospective homebuyers. The new program, funded by the Northside Coalition, will provide down payment assistance and financial well-being courses. Participants will take part in a six-month program. Following successful completion of the courses, the program will provide individuals with financial assistance to purchase or build new homes in the 32208 or 32209 zip codes in Jacksonville’s Northside.

The new Down Payment Assistance Program is a Northside Coalition collaboration with LISC Jacksonville’s already established Project Boots program. These homeownership initiatives are designed to disrupt poverty by providing support mechanisms and educational resources to increase homeownership in Jacksonville’s most historically under-resourced neighborhoods.

LISC Jacksonville Executive Director Dr. Irvin “PeDro” Cohen said, “Our collective goal is to change the trajectory and narrative of Jacksonville’s most-challenged communities and provide opportunities for those neighborhoods’ citizens to build wealth through homeownership, a historically essential component to creating generational wealth.” 

Ben Frazier of the Northside Coalition of Jacksonville, Inc. said, “Ultimately this partnership provides a pathway to homeownership, an opportunity that has been unattainable or denied to residents who for generations have lived in economically challenged neighborhoods. We are pleased to take part in this housing collaboration.”

The Down Payment Assistance Program will provide between $5,000 and $8,000 in down payment financial assistance to selected participants when they close on their home mortgage loans. Teachers, first responders and non-profit professionals are eligible for the higher amounts. Down payment assistance is available to participants purchasing existing homes or are building new homes in the 32208 or 32209 zip codes. As part of its Project Boots program, LISC Jacksonville will lead the financial wellbeing classes, which will cover areas such as financial components of homeownership and using homeownership as a generational wealth-building mechanism.

To participate in the Down Payment Assistance Program, those interested should email northsidecoalition@gmail.com for more information.

About LISC Jacksonville

Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) helps residents transform distressed neighborhoods into healthy, sustainable communities that are good places to live, work and play. Since 1999, LISC Jacksonville has invested nearly $500 million in urban core neighborhoods, including developing affordable housing as well as retail and community space, and helped create more than 3,000 jobs. For more information about LISC Jacksonville, visit www.lisc.org/jacksonville.

About the Northside Coalition of Jacksonville 

The Northside Coalition of Jacksonville is a dynamic organization creating positive, lasting change. Since 2016, the NCOJ has worked hand-in-hand with elected officials, law enforcement, business professionals, the faith community, and people from all walks of life. We are a diverse group from all walks of life with the common focus of improving social, racial, and economic injustice. Our compassion stretches across the Northside community with an increased awareness about the plight of unwed mothers, at-risk youth, and the elderly. For more information, visit https://northsidecoalitionofjacksonville.com/.