Fair Housing

United Way of Northeast Florida is thrilled to announce the grant recipients of its $4.4 million investment in providing basic needs and improving the financial well-being of families across Northeast Florida. Nearly three dozen programs received funding for an 18-month grant cycle to support meaningful outcomes that will improve economic mobility across our region. The grantees were selected following a request for proposals (RFP) process that launched in early July and closed in mid-August. The $4.4 million grant pool is made possible by contributions from thousands of donors, corporations and foundations who donate to United Way annually. To submit a proposal, an organization was required to be a 501(c)3 nonprofit leading programs that fall within United Way's focus areas of basic needs and/or financial well-being. Moreover, the applicants must serve residents in Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau and northern St. Johns counties.

Last year, thousands of eviction notices were filed in Jacksonville as families struggle to make ends meet. The new program helping families avoid eviction and the other resources available to you.

Abandoned homes, sometimes called “zombies”, are infecting local neighborhoods. During the housing recession of 2008, many homes got stuck in foreclosure limbo. In Florida the process can take years and impact surrounding property value if the houses sit abandoned for long. Early forecasts show zombies could come back to life in Jacksonville. North of downtown Jacksonville, Jeanette Williams has seen the problem firsthand. She’s not worried about her house, but the one a few doors down. “It’s been sitting there a long time. It’s been sitting there since I moved in,” Williams said. She was outside with her grandkids on an April afternoon. “That’s what I worry about — them.”

It’s something we don’t hear a lot about when you try to get into housing here in Jacksonville: Have you been discriminated against? Are you discriminated against because of the amount of money you make because of your race because of your sexuality? These are things that Jacksonville Area Legal Aid is trying to change. Affordable housing is a key issue in Jacksonville. There is lots of competition for homes and some apartments. But is it fair competition? News4JAX has been out talking to people looking for housing and asking if they feel their race or other factors are keeping them out of areas, they want to live in. One woman who didn’t want to be identified had plenty to say. “So it is, it depends on where you go in if you’re in, if you try to rent a house and maybe a Mandarin, they won’t rent to people. And if you do, you can’t afford it,” she said.