Current Projects and Grants

Housing Fund of Central Alabama Grant: Westside Community Development Corporation, Louis Barnett, Jr., Tuscaloosa, AL 205-562-3215

Westside CDC press conference Joining Grants Officer Lois Chenier at the check presentation to Westside CDC are: left to right, C. Harris, Board Chair, Westside CDC; Tuscaloosa Mayor Al DuPont; Tuscaloosa City Councilman "Coach" Cunningham; Louis Barnett Jr., Acting Executive Director, Westside CDC. Back row, left to right: Ronnie Lewis, Senior Vice President, Security Bank, Tuscaloosa; Robert W. Kuhn, Jr., President and CEO, Security Bank, Tuscaloosa; Dan Carmichael, Tuscaloosa City President, AmSouth Bank; Jeremy Sledge, Board Member, Westside CDC

Grant amount: $55,000

Westside Community Development Corporation of Tuscaloosa (WCDC) received a grant for core operating support from the Housing Fund of Central Alabama in June 2004.

Grant proceeds for Westside CDC were used to partially fund the salaries of the Acting Executive Director and Homebuyer Education Coordinator. The grant helped stabilize Westside's FY 2004 base funding, and enabled staff to focus on the for-sale, single-family homeownership initiatives in its development pipeline, said Lois Chenier, Grants Officer.

A non-profit, WCDC utilizes public and private resources to maximize funds to develop and administer affordable housing programs for west Tuscaloosa residents, according to Acting Executive Director Louis Barnett, Jr. The City of Tuscaloosa and the Alabama Housing Finance Authority have certified the WCDC as a Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO).

WCDC seeks to stimulate investments and development of west Tuscaloosa by using affordable housing as a "first thrust" of an even more comprehensive community revitalization battle plan, which was envisioned years ago by former Stillman College President Dr. Cordell Wynn as a "Marshall Plan" for Tuscaloosa's West Side.

The Acting Executive Director's primary responsibilities are to carry out the mission of the organization, raise funds, and develop and implement organizational policy. The Homebuyer Education Coordinator's job is to develop and implement a pre- and post-homebuyer curriculum, and to works with clients to become qualified and homebuyer-ready.

View photos from the Westside CDC press conference in September 2004 announcing the Housing Fund of Central Alabama grant, and the leveraging of HOME funds from the City of Tuscaloosa.

Read the press release on the grant/HOME funds announcement.