Two Peoria organizations are working together on an initiative to boost home ownership possibilities for low-income households on the city’s South Side, with financial assistance from the health department.
The Southside Community Center and Peoria Opportunities Foundation have announced a home rehabilitation project to renovate up to seven single-family homes in the 61605 ZIP code.
“For years, Southside residents have spoken about the need for better housing and ownership opportunities,” said Pastor Irene Lewis-Wimbley, executive director of the Southside Community Center. “Now we’re responding with action. Together, we’re creating more than homes; we’re building a stronger, healthier, and more connected Southside.”
The effort is funded through a grant from the Peoria City/County Health Department that has identified housing as a key component of community health.
“Through the Community Health Needs Assessment/Improvement Plan, the Social Determinants of Health Accelerator Plan, and our HUD Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes, individuals with healthy stable housing have overall improved quality of life,” said Public Health Administrator Monica Hendrickson.
The county’s board of health awarded funding to Peoria Opportunities Foundation for the project as a Health Equity Homeownership grant.
Irina Riggenbach, the foundation’s executive director, thinks the agency's residential development expertise in combination with the SCC’s neighborhood connections will assist in strengthening Peoria’s housing market and augment revitalization efforts in a disinvested area.
“We believe that real change starts by listening to the voices of the community,” said Riggenbach. “This project is not just about renovating homes, it’s about building trust and honoring the desires of Southside families.”
