Community Corner

'A Place of Joy, of Family, of Strength,' in Willow Grove

The Willow Grove Community Development Corporation opens the doors to its latest affordable rental housing.

 

Last May, the parcels at 1607 and 1609 Prospect Ave. in Willow Grove were nothing more than patches of crab grass, gravel and debris.

On Jan. 11, at 3 p.m., the ribbon was cut at the grand opening of a beautiful two-story duplex, complete with a new driveway and a backyard that any family would enjoy.

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The ribbon cutting marked the 58th housing property of the Willow Grove Community Development Corporation (WGCDC). 

The WGCDC, a nonprofit organization, provides rental housing units as affordable housing for low-income families under market value, and also provides other free financial services.

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With its 58th housing property, the WGCDC now has 37 rental properties, in which 165 individuals can call home.

“By the grace of God, I got what I got,” Roslyn McCoy said.

She is the resident of 1609 Prospect Ave.

McCoy described the WGCDC as the work of providence, and is grateful for her family’s new home.

To further express this gratitude, in the minutes before the ribbon cutting ceremony, McCoy took a moment with her pastor, the Rev. Jerome Coleman of the First Baptist Church of Cresmont, to give thanks.

“We pray this home would be a place of joy, of family, of strength and a place of memories,” Coleman said.

During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Coleman praised the volunteer efforts of organizations like the WGCDC.

“This is a testimony of people coming together,” Coleman said.

He added that neighbors in a community have a responsibility, “To help those not looking for a handout, but a hand up.”

Several WGCDC directors and administrators, as well as Abington township officials and those involved with the duplex construction, attended the event.

 

“There are so many people in this township that have helped,” Henry Jacquelin, WGCDC president, said during the ceremony’s opening remarks. “This unit right here is the 24th in Abington.”

According to Jacquelin, the very first WGCDC housing unit was constructed in December 1991, just a two blocks away from its newest unit.

Both units are located in Abington’s Ward 5. The ward’s commissioner, Wayne Luker, attended the Jan. 11 ribbon-cutting ceremony, as well as the

“To transform a vacant lot to what you see here is phenomenal,” Luker said.

After the ceremony, McCoy invited all the participants to a grand tour, as guests in her home.

“You see how happy she is,” Luker said. “I hope to work with the township and the CDC soon to make other dreams come true.”


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