FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. — So far, $55,000 has been raised to fund an effort that will help the residents who live in Peppertree Village secure housing.
On Tuesday, Janice Ancrum, the CEO of the Council on Aging in Nassau County who has led this effort, said more funding is needed as their main goal is to make sure no residents are left without a place to go.
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“We are very anxious,” Sharon Dyal, a resident at Peppertree Village, said.
It’s been three months since dozens of elderly, veteran, and disabled residents like Dyal got a letter from Peppertree Village owners in Fernandina Beach.
Action News Jax told you in June that letter informed them a federal loan that’s made their rent affordable for more than a decade will be paid off, and they’ll either be asked to pay market rent or move.
RELATED: Hope and help could be on the way for dozens of residents of Peppertree Village in Fernandina Beach
“There are apartments available, but they have a waiting list,” Dyal said.
Ancrum said after surveying residents, she found that 92% of residents would have nowhere to go.
The average income for people who live in Peppertree Village is $1,400, and the average rent is $336.
“We wanted to have every level of the government represented from the federal level, state level and local level,” Ancrum said.
RELATED: Dozens of elderly and disabled residents could be out of a place to live by January
Those leaders, housing and elderly affairs agencies and residents of Peppertree Village, filled up the meeting.
Ancrum shared that $55,000 has been donated by Baptist Health and a county commissioner to help so far.
And they presented housing options that could become available.
“Our end goal is about $250,000. I do have feelers out there with other funders to ask for dollars. I feel very confident that we’re going to raise the money,” Ancrum said.
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Acrum said she’s tried several times to reach Peppertree Village, Hallmark Management, and the USDA to join in on the effort to help residents. She said her efforts contacting them have been unsuccessful.
Action News Jax reached out to Peppertree Village following their statement to us saying that they would be applying for a different loan that would keep rent affordable at Peppertree Village following the maturation of the current USDA loan. We asked the following questions:
- Are you all participating in this meeting today?
- Have you shared the information about the new loan application with residents and local stakeholders?
- Is that application still being submitted?
- If you all apply in October, how likely is it that it will be approved and in effect by January when the USDA loan matures?
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Peppertree Village sent the following statement:
“We remain committed to ensuring residents can continue to call Peppertree Village home without seeing an increase in their out-of-pocket rent. That commitment is at the center of every decision we make and every step we are taking as the USDA Rural Development loan used to build the property reaches maturity in January 2027.
“On July 15, we sent residents a letter laying out in detail the plans we have in place to preserve affordability and what they can expect as this process moves forward.
“Those plans include proactively pursuing the USDA’s Stand-Alone Rental Assistance (SARA) program, which is designed to keep rental assistance in place for residents after a property’s loan is paid off. A recent act of Congress strengthens this path by making it permanently possible for properties like Peppertree Village to maintain rental assistance even after the original loan matures, a welcome and favorable development.
“Although USDA regulations prevent us from applying until the SARA application window opens in October, we have already begun preparing and intend to submit our application as quickly as possible. We are also in the process of scheduling a meeting with USDA Rural Development ahead of filing to confirm timelines directly with the agency, and we expect more clarity in the weeks ahead.
“Our focus remains on protecting affordability at Peppertree Village, and we will continue pursuing every available option to keep out-of-pocket rent unchanged.”
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