JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The city of Jacksonville announced in a press conference held at Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing Park Wednesday morning, a new program that's aimed to help renters become homeowners.
JWB Rental Homes, a local property management company, is putting its money back into the community through the HomeStep program. JWB said its program is about building equity and rewarding responsible renters.
In the program, JWB will give a renter $100 in equity that can be applied toward buying any home in Jacksonville. Renters can earn up to a lifetime max of $3,600, and one can use the equity as credit to closing the cost.
Mayor Donna Deegan talked to First Coast News about how the JWB Rental Homes' program tackles one of the pillars she campaigned about: affordable housing. She recalled how her experience becoming a first-time homebuyer and how the market nowadays is more accessible.
"I think it makes you feel invested in your own life for the first time," she said. "Like, you're officially grown up and ready to go. We're in much more favorable economic times now. So, hopefully for other people it's going to be a whole lot easier."
Deegan further explained that the city has a deficit of 40,000 homes. She said her objective is to build more houses because the River City is growing. She described the HomeStep program as a creative solution that creates a path to homeownership.
Nearly 200 people have already enrolled in the program. For more information about it and to enroll, click here.