{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://figures.house.gov/media/editorial/alcom-africatown-gets-25-million-federal-dollars-redevelopment", "AL.com: Africatown gets $2.5 million in federal dollars for redevelopment", "2026-02-27", "2026", "2026-02", "Democrat", "House", "AL", "Shomari Figures", "F000481", "figures.house.gov", "figures", "https://figures.house.gov/media", "scraper", "\u201cThis is a quality built, energy efficient home,\u201d he said. \u201cNine-foot ceilings, double-pane glass, soft-close drawers and cabinets, stainless utilities, remote control ceiling fans and lights. We\u2019ve not cut corners on this, guys. These are forever homes. That\u2019s why our program is called the Africatown forever home program. These are foundational homes that can be used for generational wealth building.\u201d\n\nThe three newest homes occupy what previously were vacant lots on Edwards Street opposite the Robert Hope Community Center. Finley said the wide house will list for $180,000 and the shotgun houses for $170,000. Money from their sale will be plowed back into ARC\u2019s work.\n\nRusty Smith, associate director of the AU Rural Studio, said his organization\u2019s role was to help \u201cincrease the supply of high-performance forever homes that are energy-efficient, durable, and better able to withstand storm damage, all while honoring Africatown\u2019s cultural history and legacy.\u201d\n\nHe said that while people tended to be curious about how much it cost to build the homes, they should weigh it against \u201cthe hidden cost of inaction.\u201d\n\n\u201cIn the places where we live and work, this inaction always shows up as instability, displacement, and the slow erosion of opportunity,\u201d he said.\n\n\u201cThese houses will have homeowners, and those homeowners will have voices,\u201d Smith said. \u201cIn this way, these houses and those that follow will help strengthen the voice of this community. And this community matters, and it deserves to be heard.\u201d\n\nOther officials who spoke included Ala. Rep. Adline Clarke, Mobile City Council member Samantha Ingram, Ala. Sen. Vivian Davis Figures and Mobile County Commissioner Merceria Ludgood. Finley credited Ludgood with a previous $3 million county allocation to ARC.\n\nVivian Davis Figures said the day was an emotional one for her because she was witnessing Shomari Figures, her son, pick up a baton once carried by her late husband, Michael Figures, who was a state senator when he died in 1996 after suffering an aneurysm. Friday would have been their 44th wedding anniversary, she said.\n\nFinley said the houses would be officially on the market Saturday, Feb. 7, when an open house will be held. That event will coincide with the Owambe Festival taking place nearby at Mobile County Training School and the Africatown Heritage House.\n\nFor more information on ARC, visit www.atownrc.com.", 1, "2026-04-29T06:03:53Z", "2026-04-29T06:05:09Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://figures.house.gov/media/editorial/alcom-africatown-gets-25-million-federal-dollars-redevelopment"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.409218879416585, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}