GREENVILLE, Miss. – November 16, 2020 – Greater Greenville Housing and Revitalization Association, Inc. (GGHRA), in partnership with Planters Bank, has been awarded additional grant monies to repair or rehabilitate homes owned by elderly and/or disabled individuals in Washington county. The grant is part of a $2.50 million program provided through the Special Needs Assistance Program (SNAP), a product of the Federal Home Loan Bank’s Affordable Housing Program (AHP). Since the AHP's inception in 1990, FHLB has awarded more than $300 million in AHP funds to assist more than 53,500 households.

Earlier in the year, GGHRA was awarded funding to substantially rehabilitate seven low-income, elderly and/or disabled households within Washington County. Typically, funds are only awarded once a year. However, after the release of initial funds, Federal Home Loan Bank offered an opportunity for additional grants. GGHRA in partnership with Planters Bank accepted three in the late summer months. “The partnership that we have developed and maintained with Planters Bank has helped us assist numerous Washington County residents, especially the elderly and disabled, with their housing renovation needs.  The repairs we make through our Homeowner Rehabilitation Program provides an opportunity for these specific families and/or individuals to continue living independently in their own homes.  Through the Special Needs Assistance Program (SNAP) and the support of our partner bank (Planters Bank), Greater Greenville has been able to have a tremendous impact on increasing the standard of living for so many people within our region,” said Daniel Boggs, CEO of GGHRA, of the partnership.
 
CRA officer Christopher Lewis says, “Planters Bank enjoys the partnership with Greater Greenville Housing & Development Association and the Federal Home Loan Bank so that we can provide grants to worthy recipients within our county. The SNAP grants allow repairs to be made so that residents are able to stay in their homes, and we are proud to provide this service to our community.”

In addition to improving the living conditions of Washington County residents, GGHRA also understands the importance of impacting the local economy through grant programs. As was the case in each of GGHRA’s Homeowner Rehab Program’s projects, the organization utilized solely local vendors and contractors to assist in the latest three rehabs.

Per the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the greater Greenville community maintains one of the highest concentrations of substandard housing for the state of Mississippi. Homeowner rehabilitation is one of the more popular programs that GGHRA offers to the greater Greenville community, as exemplified through the substantial waiting list GGHRA maintains for this program. The purpose of the program is to mitigate structural issues associated with the housing unit, alleviate physical decline, and to address health, safety, and wellness issues due to disrepair.
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For more information regarding this program please visit www.gghra.com or contact them at 662-378-3121.
 

Greenville, MS September 8, 2020   ​Greater Greenville Housing and Revitalization Association, Inc. announced today it received an $8,000.00 grant from Bayer Fund, which will be used to promote Greater Greenville’s Fresh Foods Initiative, a program which provides opportunities for local residents to access fresh fruits and vegetables.
 
“The Fresh Foods Initiative is a multifaceted program that provides greater access to unprocessed foods in an effort to promote healthier living within our community,” said Daniel Boggs, CEO of Greater Greenville.  “The Greenville community is considered a food desert by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).  This means that our residents have limited access to healthful and nourishing foods.  As such, this initiative focuses on enhancing access to fresh foods by developing gardening areas throughout the community, installing fruit bearing trees and shrubs in common areas, educating individuals on proper vegetable care and harvesting techniques, and promoting and encouraging greater participation at the local Farmers’ Market.  We are honored that the Bayer Fund has decided to invest in this initiative.  It will greatly support our efforts as we look to develop a new, highly visible, Farmers’ Market pavilion in the near future.”
 
“Throughout the years, the grants given through Bayer Fund have helped strengthen our communities across the United States,” said Al Mitchell, President of Bayer Fund. “We’re proud to be able to provide support to develop programs that help combat challenges such as food insecurity, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education and support services to patients and families managing an illness or disease.”
 
In 2019, Bayer Fund awarded more than $14 million to over 3,200 charitable and nonprofit organizations to help address essential needs in food and nutrition, STEM education and community development. Over the last five years, nonprofit organizations across the U.S. have received more than $79 million.
 
To learn more about the programs and services of GGHRA, please visit www.gghra.org.
 
To learn more about Bayer Fund visit https://www.fund.bayer.us.

Greater Greenville Housing and Revitalization Association (GGHRA) has been awarded a
$10,000 community grant by Regions Bank. Funds from this award will help advance the mission of GGHRA which revolves around developing, redeveloping, and sustaining affordable housing options for low-income families throughout the region, as well as promoting the redevelopment of Greenville’s Central Business District.   
 
The relationship between GGHRA and Regions started in 1998 when the two entities teamed up to develop GGRHA’s first affordable housing complex, Broadway Villas.  Since then, Regions and GGHRA have united on other various projects which have positively impacted the standard of living for so many residents of the Mississippi Delta.  One of the most notable endeavors was the development of The Reserves at Gray Park, an award-winning eco-friendly affordable housing development centrally located in Greenville, Mississippi.  This townhouse style development was completed in 2018 through a combination of funding sources, including construction and permanent financing which was provided by Regions Bank. 

Daniel Boggs, CEO of GGHRA, expressed his sincere appreciation for the long-time relationship between the two entities.  “The mission of Greater Greenville couldn’t be fulfilled without strong community partners like Regions Bank. It takes all of us, doing our part, to make this world a better place. We understand that Regions Bank has supported numerous initiatives throughout their service area in the Southeast Region, but we are truly humbled that they have decided to deepen their relationship with Greater Greenville through this grant.  We look forward to developing many more great projects with them”.  

Regions Bank Greenville Market Executive, Walt Stephens, echoes Boggs’s sentiments, “Our mission at Regions is to 'make life better' for our entire community. We strive to do this through creating shared value between ourselves and the communities we serve. Our focus on inclusive growth guides our community outreach priorities and allows us to focus on measurable change. Having access to safe and affordable housing is the cornerstone of the American dream. Regions is thrilled to be able to work with the Greater Greenville Housing and Revitalization Association to help families achieve their personal and financial goals, while also enabling the GGHRA to continue to invest in our community.”
​
Looking to the future, GGHRA seeks to continue improving the Greenville and Washington County areas through its programs and services. The organization recently interviewed architectural firms for their next endeavor, the Madison-Thomas Project. The goal of this development is to renovate two dilapidated downtown buildings into a mixed-use space which will provide safe, decent and affordable housing options to area residents, and move-in ready office or retail storefronts for small businesses. Boggs says “we are excited about opportunities this next project will bring to the downtown area, as it is being developed only a few hundred feet from the new federal courthouse.”  ​

In anticipation of renovations to the Madison-Thomas buildings, Greater Greenville Housing and Revitalization Association is requesting Statements of Qualifications from firms interested in providing Architectural and Engineering Services for a mixed use development in the Madison-Thomas Buildings downtown. 
Interested firms should return RFQ below no later than July 10, 2020. 

​Seven homes have received structural repairs thanks to a grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas

GREENVILLE, Miss. – June 10, 2020 – Greater Greenville Housing and Revitalization Association, Inc. (GGHRA), in partnership with Southern Bancorp and Planters Bank and Trust Company (Planters Bank), was recently awarded a grant through the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB) for the purpose of repairing or rehabilitating homes owned by elderly and/or disabled individuals. The grant, which was part of a $2.50 million program set-aside, was provided through the Special Needs Assistance Program (SNAP), a product of the FHLB’s Affordable Housing Program (AHP). Since the AHP's inception in 1990, FHLB has awarded more than $300 million in AHP funds to assist more than 53,500 households.

Specifically, this year’s funding was used to substantially rehabilitate seven (7) low-income, elderly and/or disabled households within Washington County. “Even though we utilize various sources of funding to help support our Homeowner Rehabilitation Program, SNAP funds have been instrumental in allowing us to serve the number of families we have over the past decade,” says Daniel Boggs, CEO of GGHRA. Boggs further states, “we are grateful for the partnerships we maintain with our community banks, and we are thankful that they understand the need for maintaining affordable housing within the Mississippi Delta. We could not do this without their support”. This is the fifth consecutive year that Planters Bank has supported an FHLB application for GGHRA, and the second for Southern Bancorp.

In addition to improving the living conditions of Washington County residents, GGHRA also understands the importance of impacting the local economy through grant programs. Specifically, over the past 10 years, GGHRA’s Homeowner Rehab Program has solely utilized local vendors and contractors to assist all 209 beneficiaries. This year’s award of $39,070.50 propelled the program's lifetime allocation to more than Nine Hundred Thousand Dollars.

Per the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the greater Greenville community maintains one of the highest concentrations of substandard housing for the state of Mississippi. Homeowner rehabilitation is one of the more popular programs that GGHRA offers to the greater Greenville community, as exemplified through the substantial waiting list GGHRA maintains for this program. The purpose of the program is to mitigate structural issues associated with the housing unit, alleviate physical decline, and to address health, safety, and wellness issues due to disrepair.
​
For more information regarding this program please visit www.gghra.com or contact them at 662-378-3121.

Ribbon Cutting and Grand Opening for The Reserves of Gray Park Neighborhood Development Scheduled for June 15th at 11:00 am in Greenville, MS
 
Forty-two unit townhouse project is the city’s largest single unit housing development  in more than three decades
 
GREENVILLE, Miss. – June 7, 2018 – The Greater Greenville Housing and Revitalization Association (GGHRA) will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony to commemorate the grand opening of The Reserves of Gray Park neighborhood development on June 15th at 11:00 am.  The event will take place at the development’s main courtyard near its entrance at 1500 Ed Gray Drive in Greenville, Miss.
 
The Reserves of Gray Park is a mixed use, mixed income, ‘in-fill’ housing development built on eight acres of land donated to GGHRA by the city of Greenville in November of 2014.  Hailed as the Delta’s first sustainable, healthy community, the development will include forty-two multi-family townhouse style units consisting of one, two and three bedroom structures. The project, Greenville’s largest single unit housing development in more than thirty years, will serve individuals and families at or below 80% AMI, with 62.5% of the units reserved for very-low income residents. 
 
Ed Gray Park will be developed as a sustainable, healthy community in accordance with Traditional Neighborhood Design principals.  Components will include a layout that compliments and works with the site.  For example, buildings will be positioned and oriented in a manner to capitalize on free, natural recourses including wind, rain and sunlight - ultimately reducing utility costs. Roof overhangs will be extended and pitched in a manner to block sunlight in the hot summer months, while capitalizing on the lower sun angle in the winter to help heat the housing unit during the colder months.  Designated areas including natural, recreational and gardening sites will be incorporated and maintained, while the reliance on hard surfaced areas, including concrete and asphalt, will be minimalized. 
 
“The GGHRA believes that building sustainable communities within Greenville is an integral component to fulfilling our mission to develop, provide and promote safe, affordable and decent housing to our residents,” said Daniel Boggs, GGHRA’s Chief Executive Officer.  “Per HUD, Greenville maintains one of the highest concentrations of sub-standard housing within the state of Mississippi, which clearly demonstrates the need for new, affordable housing.” 
 
Mr. Boggs said GGHRA’s strategy of incorporating sustainable resources enables the organization to serve as a catalyst in helping create a community that is economically, environmentally, and socially healthy and resilient.
 
 
The Reserves of Gray Park development was constructed utilizing a combination of funding sources, including Section 3 funds provided by Rural Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), Home Investment Partnership Program (HOME)-Community Housing Development Corporation (CHDO) funds provided by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Mississippi Home Corporation (MHC).  Additionally, construction and permanent financing was provided by Regions Bank, cash equity was provided by GGHRA, Healthy Housing Initiative Funding was provided by Rural LISC and the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation, Planter Bank and Trust Company (in conjunction with the FHLB’s Community Investment Program), and the Affordable Housing Program (AHP) funds were provided by the FHLB of Dallas. 
 
NOTE: Media are encouraged to attend. Interviews can be arranged either before or after the event.  To learn more about how this development makes a difference in Greenville, reporters are encouraged to call Daniel Boggs with GGHRA at 662-378-3121, x303 or visit www.gghra.org.
 
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- Partner Quotes
 
Rural Local Initiatives Support Corporation (Rural LISC)
Suzanne Anarde, Program Vice President of Rural LISC, said, “Rural LISC was happy to support the efforts of Greater Greenville Housing and Revitalization Association with the predevelopment cost of Ed Gray Park and to further supplement those efforts with a Healthy Housing Grant from Wells Fargo Housing Foundation.  We strongly believe this is a new vision in residential development for Greenville, Mississippi and rural America.  We are especially proud of how this project incorporates healthy living and sustainability into rural housing and believe this will be a quality place for families to live, work, and play.”
 
Regions Bank
"Regions Bank is proud to partner with the Greater Greenville Housing and Revitalization Association on this monumental project that will make life better for the citizens of Greenville,” said Walt Stephens, Greenville City President.  “One of our bank’s guiding principles is to strive to create long-term value for our customers, shareholders and communities. As the Delta's first sustainable, healthy community, The Reserves of Gray Park is precisely the kind of ‘shared value’ project we want to support.”
 
Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas
“FHLB Dallas’ Affordable Housing Program opens the door for projects such as Ed Gray Park to come to fruition and we are proud to contribute to the betterment of the Greenville community in partnership with Planters Bank and Trust,” said FHLB Dallas First Vice President and Director of Community Investment Greg Hettrick.
 
- About Greater Greenville Housing & Revitalization Association, Inc.
 
GGHRA is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Community Development Corporation (CDC) /Organization with over twenty-six (26) years of affordable housing development and support experience to the greater Greenville community.  The mission of GGHRA is to develop, provide and promote safe, affordable, and decent housing in conjunction with a focus on designing, researching, and/or promoting revitalization activities in the community of Greenville, Mississippi. With an impeccable reputation within the industry, our organization has successfully administered numerous community-based programs, which have assisted thousands of families within the region find and retain adequate housing. 
  
GGHRA has a rich history in developing subsidized multi-family housing, and the organization currently owns and manages one hundred thirty-six (136) affordable housing units through eight (8) separate complexes within the greater Greenville community.  The scope of these developments/redevelopments range from the substantial rehabilitation of Greenville’s first multi-family building (originally constructed in 1938) to new construction on vacant land.  In addition, our organization has also been successful in implementing and marketing other programs, such as the redevelopment of scattered-site single family units, home-buyers assistance, and homeowner rehabilitation programs.

Posted: Friday, March 16, 2018 11:00 am Kristina Norman knorman@ddtonline.com Delta Democrat Times

More than a dozen residents in Washington County will soon have new roofs over their head thanks to one local organization.

Daniel Boggs, chief executive officer for Greater Greenville Housing and Revitalization Association, said his organization recently received another round of funds for the organization’s Homeowner Rehabilitation Program with construction beginning this fall.
Over the past decade, dozens of families stayed in their homes through the program that corrects structural deficiencies. Ten years later, it remains one of the organization’s most popular programs with 170 homeowners helped to date.
Even with so many residents needs met, the list for homeowners who need assistance continually grows with 156 people still on the waiting list.
Although Boggs applied for United States Department of Agriculture grant funding in 2016 and was awarded it in 2017, he said that it’s no surprise his organization did not get awarded funds this time due to the extremely competive nature of the grants.

“The funds are starting to get tighter,” Boggs said. “We use to be able to put $12,000 to $13,000 into a house and now it’s getting to the point that funding has been cut so significantly that we can only do $3,000 to $6,000.”
With reduced funds, the focus of home repairs is roofs, as well as the soffits, the underside of the roof and fascias overhanging the roof — deficiencies that can contribute to problems with a home by allowing water to enter.
As a result of the funding challenges, the houses on the list are ranked on a school like grading system.
“Whenever we get the application, we actually do an assessment of the house an initial assessment to where we give it a grade an A, B, C, D or F. If it’s an F, we can’t touch it. It’s a year or less from falling in on itself,” he said.
Most of the homeowners who come to Greater Greenville though have houses that rate A or B, which means their home can be aided through the program, Boggs said.
“We focus on the As and Bs. Those are the one’s we can actually help within the amount of money we have. If we’re able to get USDA funding, we can add another $1,800 to $2,000 to the budget,” he said adding that extra money can help those who need a little more work done on their home.
Funding
None of the work would be possible without Greater Greenville’s partnership with Planters Bank and Trust Co.
In order to get funding for the project through the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas, a member must sponsor the application, which Planters did yet again.
For Andy Sanders, president of Planters Bank in Greenville, he said the opportunity to help out is much appreciated.
“We’re just happy to be able to partner with Daniel and his group to help these folks. There’s such a need for improving housing in our area and if there is a way we can be a part of it, we want to help out,” he said. “It’s just a good deal. We sponsor the application and that money flows directly to improving quality of life for these citizens,” he said.
Most people know Greater Greenville for the events they put on in the community, such as the Delta Hot Tamale Festival, but they are more than that, Sanders said.
“It’s good to let everyone know what they are doing so people can be supportive of the organization. They’re not just putting on festivals and stuff. They’re out improving housing, building new housing and rehabbing older homes,” he said.
How to qualify 
Greater Greenville does all the leg work by writing grants, coordinating the bidding process, managing construction and overseeing the closeout paperwork.
All they need is for people to apply.
To qualify for Greater Greenville’s programs, like the Homeowner Rehabilitation, household incomes must fall within extremely low, low or moderate incomes.
For a family of four living in Washington County in 2017, an extremely low income was $13,700 or less a year; a low income was $36,500 or less a year; and a moderate income was $54,700 or less a year.