The JOSANA Neighborhood Renewal Project

In partnership with the City of Rochester and residents, Flower City Habitat for Humanity launched a major, multi-year house building program in the JOSANA neighborhood in the fall of 2007. At the start of 2009, ten houses have been completed on Grape and Orange Streets.

Click here to watch a short video entitled "The Face of Poverty," produced by News 10NBC.

The JOSANA neighborhood is part of Rochester's "Crescent of Poverty" and is located west of PAETEC Park and north of Interstate 490 West.  Jay, Orange, Ames and Campbell are its main thoroughfares. A recent Brookings Institution study notes that poverty in Rochester increased from 26 percent in 2000, to 30 percent in 2007, a 3.3 percent increase! As of 2007, child poverty increased from 38 percent to 44 percent, resulting in the sad ranking of Rochester as 2nd in child poverty among the 100 largest U.S. cites.

Of all the needy areas in the "crescent," the JOSANA neighborhood faces some of the most dire problems. The neighborhood is poor and 74 percent minority. Thirty percent of families have incomes below 30 percent MFI (Median Family Income) and 65 percent are below 80 percent MFI. 44 percent of adult residents never graduated from high school. The neighborhood exhibits numerous signs of deterioration and instability:

• 99 percent of properties were built before 1950
• 53 percent of properties are owned by investors (absentee landlords)
• Investor properties are in poor condition -- calls to the Housing Council Hotline to report code violations are the highest per capita in the "crescent"
• 10 eviction proceedings per 100 housing units is indicative of a volatile and unstable neighborhood
• 43 percent of renters have been at their addresses for less than one year

Preparations are Underway! The City of Rochester, Flower City Habitat for Humanity, and the Rochester Housing Authority are all preparing to make a significant investment in the JOSANA neighborhood. A recent article published by the Democrat & Chronicle describes the planning work that is underway with the Jay Orchard Street Area Neighborhood Association. Click here to read the story.

Unfortunately, one of the most telling indicators of neighborhood health is the high incidence of lead paint poisoning. Several years ago, 29 percent of children age six and below tested at or above 10 micrograms per deciliter -- levels considered very dangerous in young children.

The JOSANA Neighborhood Renewal Project presents an opportunity to transform a profoundly troubled area into a safe and vibrant neighborhood in which residents live in decent, safe and affordable homes. By recognizing historic population shifts, the project will reduce housing density and demolish aged and obsolete structures, while retaining the current mix of rental and homeownership options.  Lead paint poisoning will be eliminated as an endemic problem in this neighborhood.

In the first phase of the project, we buillt houses on vacant lots on Orange Street and Grape Street. We continue building on lots identified by the city's Bureau of Housing on Orange St., Campbell St. and Whitney St. Project funding will determine the pace at which Habitat can build; with more sponsorships and donations, more houses can be constructed. No government funds will be used, relying instead on donations and support from individuals, groups, the business community and foundations.

The most important goal of the JOSANA Neighborhood Renewal Project is to enable low- to moderate-income families to live in decent, safe and affordable housing and thus become part of the American Dream.

Get Involved

There are many ways to help:

• Organize a fundraiser to support JOSANA projects.
  Contact our Development and Communications Manager, Teresa Bianchi, at 546-1470, x305 or tbianchi@rochesterhabitat.org.
• Make a donation on behalf of yourself or in honor of or in memory of a loved one. Click here to learn more.
• Donate in-kind building materials or services.
  Contact Bill Bartlett at 546-1470, x307 or bbartlett@rochesterhabitat.org.
• Volunteer to build, as an individual or with a group.
  Contact Tiffany paine at 546-1470, x315 or tpaine@rochesterhabitat.org.
• Sign-up to receive e-mail updates about our JOSANA project.
  Send a message to bcramer@rochesterhabitat.org.