TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — One Tallahassee neighborhood will get the Cinderella treatment thanks to a grant from the CRA.
Families living in the Greater Bond neighborhood in Tallahassee have the chance to give their homes a facelift. It's all thanks to that $6.4 million Neighborhood First Initiative backed by the CRA.
"In the next five to seven years, you're going to see the Bond Community, but you're going to see us a little bit more progressive," said James Vaughn, who lives in the Bond Community.
That change is starting with a Facade Grant.
As the name suggests, the $10,000 grant will give people the chance to make the outside of their homes look better.
That could mean a new front door, flowers and trees in the yard, even repaving your driveway or painting your home.
"Many of the homes are older homes. They've been around for a long time, they haven't maybe been well kept," said Mayor Pro Tem Curtis Richardson.
As expected, people are excited about the chance to make their homes look better without the financial burden.
So far, eight people have submitted their applications. There's $160,000 set aside for the beautification project.
Vaughn says he has plans to redo the siding on his home and switch out the windows.
The Tallahassee Lenders Consortium will handle everything from finding the contractors to paying them.
It's the first of many steps towards a better future for Bond.
Anyone interested in upgrading their home can submit an application to the City of Tallahassee. They'll be taking applications until August 30.
The city is hoping to start on those repairs by the fall.
If you're not approved for a Facade Grant this year, there will be another opportunity to apply next year.
