A plan by
Black Community Developers to build a residential substance abuse treatment center impacts lives even before the project gets off the ground. In order to make room to build the Empowerment Center, the group had to buy some homes. The folks who lived there got new ones, but not everyone was on board at first.
Quintella Jones is in a brand new home, but it was a home she almost turned down when Black Community Developers offered to buy her old one for a building project. "No, that was the first thing. I put my hand on my hip and I said, 'No, I do not want to sell.'"
But other neighbors did want to sell and Jones finally came around.
Monday, the group spent MLK Day tearing down three homes in the 3600 block of 11th Street. The plan is to build the Empowerment Center — a five million dollar residential treatment center for people with substance abuse problems. To make room for this 25,000 square foot facility they're not only tearing down homes on 11th Street, they're tearing down homes on 12th street as well.
Community leaders say this project is one of many aimed at revitalizing the area. "This community unfortunately has been suffering from a lot of social ills. It's been suffering from a lot of neglect," says Ken Richardson, Little Rock Ward 2 City Director.
The Empowerment Center will also have educational programs for the community. Black Community Developers plan to break ground on the center this fall and expect it to be up and running by the fall of 2011.
