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July 1, 2008NEW HUD SECRETARY TOURS NEW ORLEANS, MEETS WITH MAYOR |
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From HUD Press Releases: On his first visit to New Orleans as the new head of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Secretary Steve Preston toured some of the city's public housing communities, participated in a groundbreaking ceremony for a new community center, visited a family that used a HUD program to become first-time homeowners, and met with Mayor Ray Nagin to get a briefing on the city's ongoing recovery. "Our commitment to this region continues, which is why it was important to me to get a first-hand look at the city's progress and challenges early in my new role. Today at Abundance Square in New Orleans' Upper Ninth Ward, Preston joined Nolan Rollins, the president of the Urban League of Greater New Orleans and the HUD-appointed Executive Administrator Karen Cato-Turner, to break ground for a new community center that will be built on a parcel of land near the new Abundance Square/Treasure Village mixed-income community. At River Gardens, the HUD-appointed HANO Board Chair Diane Johnson introduced Preston to Lillie Daniels and Ronald Craig, a husband and wife who in April purchased their first home in River Garden, the mixed-income community that replaced the old St. Thomas public housing development. The family realized the American Dream of homeownership in April by using HUD's Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) Homeownership Program, which allows renters to use their rental voucher to pay a portion of their mortgage. The demolition of C.J. Peete is complete and construction of new homes is set to begin in the fall; nearly half of Lafitte is demolished and construction is set to begin early winter.
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