releases: https://figures.house.gov/media/editorial/alcom-africatown-gets-25-million-federal-dollars-redevelopment
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| url | title | date | year | month | party | chamber | state | member_name | bioguide_id | domain | scraper | source | date_source | text | has_text | collected_at | updated_at |
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| 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 | “This is a quality built, energy efficient home,” he said. “Nine-foot ceilings, double-pane glass, soft-close drawers and cabinets, stainless utilities, remote control ceiling fans and lights. We’ve not cut corners on this, guys. These are forever homes. That’s why our program is called the Africatown forever home program. These are foundational homes that can be used for generational wealth building.” The 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’s work. Rusty Smith, associate director of the AU Rural Studio, said his organization’s role was to help “increase the supply of high-performance forever homes that are energy-efficient, durable, and better able to withstand storm damage, all while honoring Africatown’s cultural history and legacy.” He said that while people tended to be curious about how much it cost to build the homes, they should weigh it against “the hidden cost of inaction.” “In the places where we live and work, this inaction always shows up as instability, displacement, and the slow erosion of opportunity,” he said. “These houses will have homeowners, and those homeowners will have voices,” Smith said. “In 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.” Other 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. Vivian 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. Finley 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. For more information on ARC, visit www.atownrc.com. | 1 | 2026-04-29T06:03:53Z | 2026-04-29T06:05:09Z |