Posted: 11:54 AM Oct 11, 2012
Reporter: Brian Hutton, Jr.

From Renters to First-Time Homeowners

The Meridian Housing Authority has been active in revitalizing neighborhoods, and now it is taking a step to help revitalize families.

Ronald J. Turner, Sr., executive director of the Meridian Housing Authority, explains, "Our main intent for the Meridian Housing Authority is to transition our residents from rental housing into home ownership. These 12 units will be offered to 12 residents who are already participating in our home ownership program."

Being in the home ownership program can only teach so much. Many things you can't learn until you are forced to do them on your own.

"It's one of those things that we sometimes take for granted," says Turner. "Being able to just come out on your own front porch, cut your own yard, and take care of your own maintenance requirements, pay your own utility bills and things like that can sometimes be a challenge if you have not ever done that."

This project is a joint collaboration between the Meridian Housing Authority and the City of Meridian. In fact, Mayor Barry tells us that it's projects like these that help to elevate everyone in the community.

"Well, I think that anytime you can actively work with organizations any build partnerships with other entities in an effort to have a better quality of life for citizens in your community, that's what we're all about," says Mayor Cheri Barry of the City of Meridian.

Turner tells us this project, "Really exemplifies a sense of pride with the residents to be able to become home owners, and to be quite frank with you, own a piece of the American Dream, and that's having your own home."

Turner hopes to have all of the paperwork done by the end of the month so that groundbreaking can take place on the units in mid-November with a target completion date prior to Christmas 2013.

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