Jubilee Homes of Syracuse
Go to current site: www.jubilee-homes.org/

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Jubilee Homes of Syracuse's mission is to serve as the catalyst for achieving the long term-revitalization of the Southwest. For several years this was their website.
Content is from the site's 2014 - 2016 archived pages, as well as other outside sources.

If you have inadvertently ended up on this archived website while searching for Jubilee Homes, please go to their current website at:
https://www.jubilee-homes.org/

History

In 1984, Time of Jubilee, Incorporated was formed as a private non-profit corporation in response to the tremendous need for affordable, decent housing in the southwest section of Syracuse. Under the leadership of the Reverend Larry Howard, then President of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance (IMA), the members of the IMA, and the Downtown Clergy (DC) were challenged to "do something" in the minority areas of Syracuse's inner-city. Addressing urban blight and the promotion of neighborhood stability were of the utmost importance. Concurrently, City Community Development Commissioner, David S. Michel, and Planner, Will Morgan, approached IMA and suggested they look at Brooklyn, New York's Nehemiah Project. The Nehemiah Project was a comprehensive approach to revitalizing an eight square block area in the burned out Brownsville section of Brooklyn. After a visit to this project, Time of Jubilee sprang to life.

Time of Jubilee is a democratically-run, locally controlled (51%) organization whose board of directors is comprised of local residents, local community, business and religious leaders, community development professionals, human service providers and other concerned citizens. The mission of Time of Jubilee, Inc. is to achieve the long-term revitalization of the Southwest side of the City of Syracuse, bordered by West Onondaga St and Cheney St. to the east and west, South Avenue and Onondaga Ave. to the north and South. 

In 1986, Time of Jubilee established a separate corporation, Jubilee Homes of Syracuse, Inc. whose mission is to serve as the catalyst for achieving the long term-revitalization of the Southwest side by: 

1) providing home ownership and/or rental opportunities for low and moderate income people through the construction and/or rehabilitation of permanently affordable owner-occupied homes and rental units in the neighborhood using the Community Land Trust Model; 

2) building shared values and a sense of community in the neighborhood by empowering neighborhood residents to develop, engage in and/or promote neighborhood building activities and events, in order to continue to build neighborhood cohesiveness; 

3) supporting and/or increasing small business and commercial development on the Southwest-side through economic development initiatives; and 

4) preparing our area youth for future leadership through innovative youth development programs.

 

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JUBILEE HOMES YOUTHBUILD

MISSION STATEMENT JUBILEE HOMES YOUTHBUILD is committed to providing our community young men and women valuable employment, educational and life skills opportunities, empowering them to become successful community leaders. 


Funded by U.S. Department of Labor (2009 - 2012)
Jubilee Home YouthBuild is an alternative education, training and service program. Out-of-school youth spend approximately half their time in education, counseling, and leadership development activities, and earn a high school diploma or GED. The other half of their time is spent in renovating affordable housing and other community service activities. The program focuses on career development, life skills and employability; with intensive follow-up to support graduates in the transition to sustainable employment, vocational training or college preparation. 

Career Development & Post Graduate Services
Career Development and Post Graduate services address the issues youth face when it comes to gaining and retaining employment. YouthBuilds goal is to, not only train youth to work in the construction field but to develop into valuable assets to any employer. YouthBuild participants go through a process of personal transformation which positively influences their aspirations, self-esteem, values, skills and lifestyles. The youth are encouraged and guided individually and within the group in developing personal strategies for success. They become skilled at managing their feelings, their relationships with their families & their communities in mature and productive ways. This process is facilitated throughout the program cycle with various Community Partners and the YouthBuild staff. 

Why Hire a YouthBuild Grad?
YouthBuild graduates have proven themselves throughout a rigorous nine-month program that challenged them to make positive changes in their community and their own lives. They have a solid work ethic and know how to show up on time, ready for work, all day every day. They have been exposed to various aspects of the construction industry and are accustomed to doing physical work in all weather conditions. They have attained several professional certifications:

• Pre-Apprenticeship Certification Training (P.A.C.T.) offered through the National Home Builders Institute (H.B.I.).
• OSHA 10 Hour safety training course: Required in the state of New York in order to work on public works projects of $250,000 or more.
• LEAD Certification: Federal law requires renovation firms (including sole proprietorships) to be certified and requires individuals to be trained in the use of lead-safe work practices.

YouthBuild graduates leave the program with a toolbox filled with more than a hammer and tape they have a solid education, real-world work experience, goals for their future, a support system and the self-confidence to know they can succeed. 


AmeriCorps Grantees, 2010 - 2011
YouthBuild USA receives a National Direct grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service for these YouthBuild AmeriCorps programs.
Since 1994, YouthBuild USA has served as a national intermediary for AmeriCorps funds and education awards, bringing additional resources to local programs. Participating in the highly visible AmeriCorps program facilitates the transformation of YouthBuild students identity. Being known as YouthBuild AmeriCorps members, identifying with national service and community service, and obtaining valuable education awards for postsecondary education put the students into the mainstream of respected American society.

• Jubilee Homes YouthBuild 2010 students have a total of 9,347 Community Service Hours and have received The Segal AmeriCorps Education Award.

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Jubilee Homes YouthBuild Partners

Syracuse City School District
Syracuse University
Syracuse Housing Authority
SUNY EOC
City of Syracuse
Home Headquarters, Inc.
Center for Community Alternatives, Inc.

Syracuse Model Neighborhood Corporation, Inc.
Southwest Community Center
CNY Works
OnPoint for College
Partners for Education & Business
Syracuse Chamber of Commerce
& more ...

A Thank You to our Partners and the Community
      Thank you so much for your support and commitment to our Jubilee Homes YouthBuild Students. Because of your willingness to give freely of your valuable time, expertise and encouragement the lives of our young people have been positively affected. Some of our successful outcomes are 17 GEDs (and counting), as well as 20 HBI Construction Certificates. We are confident that these accomplishments are a direct reflection of the support of the Community and our Community Partners. 
      Jubilee Homes YouthBuild wouldn't have been as effective without the help of selfless people and organizations like yours. We want to ensure you know just how much your efforts have been appreciated, as well as how your continued willingness to support our students is valued. 
      We believe it is essential to continue providing services to our youth; the future leaders of our community and look forward to your long-term support to the sustainability of Jubilee Homes Youth Program. 

With Sincere Appreciation, YouthBuild Staff and *Students 

*"The support that you have given to us lets us know that we still have an opportunity at success in life and that you are willing to encourage and work with us in improving our lives and the understanding that we have you to back us up. We are grateful and appreciate all your time and encouragement."

 

 

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Southwest Supermarket Project

Jubilee Homes of Syracuse, Inc is excited to officially launch its latest development initiative in the Southwest Community for a Neighborhood Supermarket. The development of this neighborhood supermarket is part of a larger community driven initiative coined as the Midland-Lincoln-Bellevue Project. The Midland-Lincoln-Bellevue Project was conceptualized by neighborhood residents and community organizations as a comprehensive way to improve the conditions of a blighted neighborhood. The project includes several phases that are inclusive of; improvements in the existing housing stock, new residential construction, and South Avenue commercial corridor enhancements. The Jubilee Homes Neighborhood Supermarket Initiative is designed to address some of the challenges faced by citizens on the southwest side of Syracuse such as: the lack of or limited access to fresh, nutritious, and affordable foods, and transportation issues that are a result of the need to travel outside of the neighborhood to meet household needs. The New Neighborhood Supermarket will address the aforementioned issues by giving our local residents convenient access to healthy food products. This Initiative will also create employment opportunities for local residents and serve as a visual investment to improve the negative perception of the neighborhood.

Jubilee Homes of Syracuse, Inc is excited to officially launch its latest development initiative in the Southwest Community for a Neighborhood Supermarket. The development of this neighborhood supermarket is part of a larger community driven initiative coined as the Midland-Lincoln-Bellevue Project. The Midland-Lincoln-Bellevue Project was conceptualized by neighborhood residents and community organizations as a comprehensive way to improve the conditions of a blighted neighborhood. The project includes several phases that are inclusive of; improvements in the existing housing stock, new residential construction, and South Avenue commercial corridor enhancements. The Jubilee Homes Neighborhood Supermarket Initiative is designed to address some of the challenges faced by citizens on the southwest side of Syracuse such as: the lack of or limited access to fresh, nutritious, and affordable foods, and transportation issues that are a result of the need to travel outside of the neighborhood to meet household needs. The New Neighborhood Supermarket will address the aforementioned issues by giving our local residents convenient access to healthy food products. This Initiative will also create employment opportunities for local residents and serve as a visual investment to improve the negative perception of the neighborhood.

Objectives

The broader goal of the project is to develop a full-service neighborhood grocery store that sells an array of fresh produce, canned goods, meat and dairy products, and a diverse supply of household products. 

Sustainability/Efficiency: Much of the inventory will come from local growers and food producers. The Jubilee Homes Neighborhood Supermarket will also employ energy efficient materials/appliances to build and operate the market 

Food Security: The Jubilee Homes Neighborhood Supermarket is dedicated to building a sustainable local food system that guarantees access to affordable and nutritious foods for area residents 

Workforce Development: The Neighborhood Supermarket will offer; employment opportunities to local residents (including senior citizens) provide fair wages & benefits, and provide continual employee training opportunities.

The Neighborhood Supermarket will serve as a visual investment to spur further investment in the area serving as a catalyst aimed at improving commercial opportunities and services available to area residents, as well as improving the aesthetic nature of the neighborhood and commercial corridor.

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Phase I- Site Acquisition 

Phase II- Pre-Development

• Acquire Property
• Solicit Community input & support
• Prepare Site layout
• Obtain Land Use & Building Permit

Phase III- Construction/Renovation

• Contract for construction
• Receive Occupancy Certificate

Phase IV- Occupancy

• Hire Employees
• Stock Store
• Property & Operation Management

Neighborhood Supermarket Initiative Committee

Development Committee

• Walter Dixie, Executive Director-Jubilee Homes of Syracuse, Inc.
• Dave Michel, Time of Jubilee
• Patrice Bey, Lead Project Manager-Jubilee homes of Syracuse, Inc.
• Sharon Owens, Deputy Commissioner, City of Syracuse-Neighborhood and Business Development Department
• Jason Chiesa, Office of Congressman Dan Maffei
• Paul Driscoll, Commissioner, City of Syracuse-Neighborhood and Business Development Department
• Lori Tape, Special Project Manager, Jubilee Homes of Syracuse, Inc.

Design Committee

• Kenel Antoine, Architect & Associates- Lead architect
• Randal Frech, Onondaga Community College School of Architecture
• Paul Williams, Consulting Architect
• LaRhonda Ealey, Associate Director- Jubilee Homes of Syracuse, Inc.

Legal Team

• Rosemary Nwawka, Nwawka Law
• Kathleen Joy, Attorney- jubilee Homes of Syracuse, Inc.

Finance Committee

• Raylene Clark, Lead Business Consultant
• Sol Salahou, Financial Consultant
• Ron Ehrienrich, Syracuse Cooperative Federal Credit Union
• Tereta Hill, Program Developer, Jubilee Homes of Syracuse, Inc.
• Carolyn Evans-Dean, Business Counselor, Southwest Economic Business Resource Center

Community Task Force

• Joann Stephens, MLB
• Mercedes Bloodworth, SUN, MLB
• Michelle Mike, Syracuse Resident
• Rentia Ferguson, Outreach Coordinator, Jubilee Homes of Syracuse, Inc.

 

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An update: When I attended the Syracuse University I majored in political science. I was particularly interested in the environment and social justice. For the four years I was at Syracuse University I volunteered at Jubilee Homes. I tutored students helping them work towards their GED. The experience was so rewarding I decided to get my masters in education. I now work in the NYC public schools as a specialist helping middle school students who are far behind in math. My work is challenging since many of my students have the added burden of living in poverty with little support at home. New York City was hit particularly hard at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Opening schools back up is very controversial. I worry that if all teaching is going to be remote, my students are going to fall even further behind. I can not imagine most of these kids getting tested to see if they either have a negative Covid-19 diagnostic test or a positive antibody test unless the schools set up testing on their premises. While the NYC Teachers Union Prepare To Strike if their safety demands are not met, I am at home working and checking in almost daily to see how my mother is doing at Hart Heritage Estates, a senior living facility in Maryland where she has weathered the pandemic. It was such a relief when all the residents and staff got vaccinated. When my sister and I realized that my mother really needed to move into an assisted living facility, little did we imagine that nursing homes and senior care facilities would become hot spots for a pandemic. Although Hart Heritage Estates did see some deaths from Covid, most of their staff and residents came through just fine because of the stringent safety precautions they took. My sister and I though she would be able to check up easily on our mother since she lives only a half hour away. But with a no visitor rule in place during these times, I probably have "visited" with my mother as often as my sister via FaceTime.
Recently I checked into the current website for Jubilee Homes. It's wonderful they are still educating the local youth, providing workforce development opportunities and helping families become homeowners. The community garden that was just in the development stage when I graduated is now thriving. I can see from the pictures on their web site, Covid-19 has not slowed them down. They just had their 33rd Anniversary Fundraiser, but welcome donations. I give every year.

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Urban Delights Youth Farmstand Project

Executive Summary

Jubilee Homes of Syracuse, Inc. has partnered with Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Onondaga County and SUNY ESF to expand our Urban Delights Youth Farmstand Project and implement the Southwest Community Farm Project. Utilizing the Youth Corps model, the Jubilee Homes expanded Urban Delights program of 10 15 youth will develop an Urban Farm to 1) grow fresh produce 2) educate community residents on sustainable growing practices, and 3) improve the use and quality of vacant land. Youth will plan, design and establish the farm through after-school and summer employment programs developed by Cornell Cooperative Extension, SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry, and Jubilee Homes. The Southwest Community Farm Project was awarded a substantial grant from the Lincoln Bellevue Community Initiatives Planning Group to implement this project as the anchor for a comprehensive Midland, Lincoln, Bellevue neighborhood development project

Motivation 

The Jubilee Homes Southwest Community Farm Project is an innovative project designed to provide youth from the inner city with employment opportunities and simultaneously promote good citizenship and positive environmental practices within Southwest Syracuse. The Southwest Community Farm Project will be developed within Syracuses Southwest Community which is an area plagued by environmental risks inclusive of vacant land, poor soil quality, and food insecurity. Due to the lack of financial resources available within the Southwest Community to stimulate and support healthy development, vacant land within the neighborhood continues to increase as houses and old buildings are demolished. Furthermore the demolition of commercial and residential structures has contaminated the soil via the left remnants of sub surface structures and contaminants such as lead and asbestos. As well, the Southwest Community is comprised of very-low to moderate income households many of whom rely on corner stores, which often offer minimal nutritious food choices and at higher prices than supermarkets. 

Southwest Community Farm Project Objectives:

• Improve the use and environmental and aesthetic quality of vacant land  The Southwest Community Farm design will be completed by project partners and will include fencing to provide security and identity for the facility. The farm is in its first phase of development. In 2011 youth and project partners covered the entire site with a geotextile barrier, on top of which they have built raised beds for growing. In phase two of the plan a hoop and/or green house will be constructed on the site in order to facilitate year round growing. A portion of the space will be dedicated for community use. Area residents alongside project youth will work together to construct their own bed using program tools and materials.
• Increase Food Security - The Farm combats food security directly by providing healthy foods to Southwest Community residents. The project is also committed to growing produce that is culturally representative of Syracuses inner city populations, thereby making access and preferences for fresh produce even more attractive.
• Enhance community awareness of food security, healthy and nutritious food choices, and the importance of green spaces  Youth promote and assist in facilitating educational events that focus on urban agriculture and healthy eating

Youth Development - The Urban Delights youth participants will learn all aspects of developing and managing the urban farm. Youth will also receive extensive training on incorporating healthy eating and lifestyle choices in their lives and the lives of community members. This includes teaching them how to prepare the fruit and vegetables they grow, safe food handling practices, the importance of the variety of fruits and how to make healthy lifestyle choices in a variety of settings.

Southwest Community Farm Build

November 23, 2010 

On November 20th, after years of planning, Jubilee Homes Southwest Community Farm Project took its first step towards transforming itself from 12 vacant lots into a productive youth-run urban farm. Over 60 volunteers from the neighborhood, Jubilee Homes, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Onondaga Countys CommuniTree Stewards, Syracuse United Neighbors, local churches, and City of Syracuse Parks, Fire and Neighborhood and Business Development departments gathered to cover five of the 12 lots with four inches of wood chips. 

Volunteers spread approximately 150 cubic yards of willow wood chips over the site and stuffed 600 linear feet of filtrexx garden soxx which was placed around the site to contain the wood chips and to provide a farm border which will be planted in the spring. The ground covering is the start to environmental improvements to the site in preparation for further site construction in the spring of 2011, when raised bed will be built and youth from the Southwest neighborhood of Syracuse will begin farming. 

The project is a collaboration of Jubilee Homes, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Onondaga County and State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Starting in 2011 youth employed by the Urban Delights program will learn about entrepreneurship, food systems and food security through urban farming on the site. Community garden space will also be available for neighborhood residents. These efforts are supported in part by a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Environmental Justice grant. 

The farm build was made possible by our partners and significant contributions from the City of Syracuse, SUNY-ESF Willow Biomass Project, the Midland-Lincoln-Bellevue Community Initiatives Working Group, filtrexx, and OCRRA. Thank you!

 

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