LAFAYETTE PARISH (LAFAYETTE) — A local nonprofit’s new mentoring facility is one step closer to breaking ground.
100 Black Men of Greater Lafayette is set to receive more funding from the city, helping them open the new Veazey Neighborhood Community Center at 300 Pershing Avenue in Lafayette.
Tuesday night, Lafayette City and Parish Councils are scheduled to meet and approve the transfer of funds, moving the project forward.
This is a major milestone after two and a half years of work.
Forrest Chaisson, president of 100 Black Men, and member Alton Trahan expressed their excitement for the new facility; they believe it will provide much more than just mentoring.
“Not just the mentoring, but we also have three other pillars within the organization that we deal with, which are education, economic empowerment, and health and wellness,” Chaisson said. “We’re going to be offering a lot of those services out of there as well.”
According to the meeting agenda, $100,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds will be awarded to Lafayette Habitat for Humanity, which is assisting 100 Black Men with the project.
Trahan highlighted the importance of community involvement in the initiative.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for us to come into the community, and the revitalization efforts with Public Service and Habitat as well,” Trahan said. “We’ve really partnered with them for this project, and everyone’s excited.”
Both Chaisson and Trahan hope to break ground on the facility within the next month or two, bringing the community one step closer to the new center.
Check out our past stories:
100 Black Men of Greater Lafayette organizes neighborhood cleanup
100 Black Men of Greater Lafayette new mentoring facility demolition is underway
100 Black Men ready to start construction on mentoring center, seeking additional funding
