REBIRTH OF LYNCH STREET CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 While at least two other Jackson State redevelopment projects will get under way before the Lynch Street initiative moves into the forefront, Johnson says he expects it to become a reality within the next few years. “We have already started tearing down additional structures in that area. Although there was a slight delay, it is back on,” Johnson says, “and we might get some federal funding for that area as well.” Chambliss says if the initiative is successful, it could be a boon for both the university and the city of Jackson. “People will come from around the world just to see those places.”
Project HOOP helped Lenora Jimmerson-Honer, a driver at Jackson State University, became a homeowner more than a year ago.
BY PAMELA BERRY-PALMER 10
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enora Jimmerson-Honer says she’s ready to welcome more Jackson State University staff and faculty members as neighbors. More than a year ago, the 47-yearold driver was one of the first Jackson State employees to benefit from a university-sponsored program aimed at increasing homeownership among its staff. Before getting the beige, 1,500-square-foot home, Jimmerson-Honer and her family lived in an apartment. Being the owner of a threebedroom, two-bathroom house has boosted her outlook on life. “The program gave me another chance,” says Jimmerson-Honer, who also is enrolled at JSU and hopes to graduate in December with a degree in social work. Called Project HOOP, or Home Ownership Opportunities Program, the federally backed initiative that benefited Jimmerson-Honer provided low-interest loans and access to affordable, renovated housing surrounding the campus. Its goal was to help revitalize the Washington Addition neighborhood just south of the Jackson State campus. Partners in the program have included Jackson State, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the city of Jackson and Jackson Metro Housing Partnership. So far, about a dozen homes have been reno-
vated through Project HOOP. But Troy Stovall, JSU’s senior vice president for finance and operations, says because of some early challenges with the program, oversight of Project HOOP is being shifted to the West Jackson Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit JSU initiated in 1984. Despite the changes, Jimmerson-Honer says she’s living proof that the university should continue to push for economic and community development programs that can make a positive difference in the lives of those with low to moderate incomes. “It’s especially beneficial for the faculty and staff. I got to buy a house for $35,000 that can be sold for $85,000,” says the married mother of three daughters. “They helped me to qualify and helped me with a down payment. There is no way I would have been able to buy a house on the salary I’m making.” The Project HOOP program targeted low- and moderate-income individuals and families. Under the income guidelines, a single person’s income couldn’t exceed $29,750. The income level for a family of four couldn’t exceed $42,500. Under the program, Jimmerson-Honer says she was allowed to lease her home for a year until she became eligible to buy it. “It allowed me to do something I’ve always wanted ... to own my own home.”
The former Ebony Theater, which sits between the old Chambliss Shoe Hospital and Ms. Lizzie’s Center in the 900 block of Lynch Street, is one of the first black movie theaters in Jackson. It is slated for renovation under the Lynch Street Corridor/ Parkway Initiative headed by former Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr.
Milton Chambliss’ building, which housed the old Chambliss Shoe Hospital, is the only structure on Lynch Street listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.