Sen. Carper Unveils Dover Homeownership Initiative

Wilmington, DE – Senator Tom Carper will visit Dover on Friday, April 1, 2005 to highlight his new homeownership initiative. The goal of the initiative is to increase homeownership rates within the City of Dover and provide opportunities for homeownership to families, regardless of income level. Over the last two years, Senator Carper has worked on developing this strategy in partnership with the City of Dover, Dover City Council, Dover Housing Authority, Wesley College, National Council on Agricultural Life and Labor Research Fund (NCALL), Delaware State Housing Authority, and Fannie Mae (FNM/NYSE). These organizations comprise the Dover Community Partnership. The initial phase of the project will focus on a nine-block area within Mary Street to Division Street, Governors Avenue to North Queen Street. New houses will be built on vacant lots, condemned houses will be demolished where new houses will be built, and properties for sale will be assessed to determine cost of rehabilitation versus demolition and new construction. Homes will be acquired by the Dover Community Partnership, and may be purchased by eligible families. Financing will come through several avenues, including no or low-interest loans and lines of credit from local banks and other financial institutions. Interested families will work with the partnership, which will assist in all aspects of the homeownership process, from counseling to down payment and settlement costs. WHO: United States Senator Thomas R. Carper Dover City Councilman John Pitts Dover City Councilman Reuben Salters President of Wesley College Dr. Scott Miller Executive Director of Dover Housing Authority, Ami Sebastian Hauer WHAT: Dover Community Partnership WHEN: 10:00 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. WHERE: 219 Cecil Street Dover, DE Reception immediately following at Wesley College