Neal Communities, Southwest Florida’s premier, private homebuilder, has pledged $500,000 to Hope Village of Manatee, a development of Help to Home, Inc. The 53-unit housing community will provide temporary housing for low-income families with minor children who are homeless or threatened with homelessness. The program also provides mentoring, monitoring and case management to help the families escape the threat of homelessness.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Monday, April 15, to celebrate the start of construction at 1825 30th Avenue W. in Bradenton. At the ceremony, Pat Neal, founder and chairman of Neal Communities, was among the group that ceremoniously dug the first shovels of dirt. He also presented a check for $210,000 to Help to Home. In addition, Neal Communities is committing $10,000 per home sold at Tideline, a boutique Neal Signature Homes community underway near Palma Sola Bay in Bradenton. There are 29 homes in the community, which will bring the total donation to $500,000.
During the groundbreaking, April Childers, founder and vice president of Help to Home, said, “This event today represents a monumental day for our community. This is the future of Hope Village where families will have their lives forever changed. This is more than just dirt. This is more than just a development. This is more than just one non-profit’s program. This is businesses, non-profits, developers and citizens uniting together to change the lives of homeless children and their families and giving them the opportunity to become self-sustaining.”
Neal said “Help to Home is offering a real way for families faced with homelessness to achieve stability, and we’re pleased Neal Communities can help support these families by contributing to Hope Village.”
Help to Home was founded about 20 years ago by a coalition of churches that wanted to help homeless families. The program provides stable housing at below-market rent for up to two years, while requiring clients to participate in mentoring, monitoring and case management programs designed to help them improve their families’ lives and achieve stability.
With a core belief that “Where You Live Matters,” Neal Communities has given more than $8 million to local charities throughout Southwest Florida and is committed to the communities where they live, work and build.
