FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Krista Buckel
Krista.Buckel@cvky.org
859-231-0054 x1034
1450 North Broadway
Lexington, KY 40505
LEXINGTON, KY. (June 26, 2023) – Community Ventures (CV), in partnership along with the City of Fulton, the City of South Fulton, Fulton County, Fulton County Detention Center, and the Fulton-Hickman Counties Economic Development Partnership, today broke ground on the first Community Ventures-developed and financed home in the city of Fulton. The groundbreaking is Community Ventures’ first step toward helping residents in Western Kentucky become homeowners.
“Community Ventures is committed to strengthening communities by helping Kentuckians own homes and businesses, and today’s groundbreaking is just the beginning of the services we hope to offer Western Kentucky as they rebuild,” said Community Ventures’ Disaster Recovery Specialist Tammy Nesler. “We are thankful for the backing we have received from the City of Fulton, South Fulton, and Fulton County on this project, and we look forward to working with our financing partners to help residents in this region become successful homeowners.”
Today’s groundbreaking makes homeownership possible for Fulton County resident, lifelong renter, and first-time homeowner Ruby Burton. “Community Ventures explained the process to me step by step and has been with me 100 percent,” Burton said. “Not having to try to do this all by myself helped me a whole lot. I hope others in my community will see my home and decide they want to own their own home too.”
While Fulton was not directly impacted by the tornados and storms that devastated parts of Western and Central Kentucky, as a Mayfield neighbor, Fulton County has seen the housing market tighten. According to a housing assessment study conducted by the University of Kentucky, Fulton County ranks 13th among counties in Kentucky with the highest demand for housing, tying with Fayette County.
With the exception of a Habitat for Humanity home, this house will be the first to be built in Fulton since 2008. “I cannot overstate how important this new home construction is to Fulton’s overall economic recovery efforts,” said Mark Welch, President of Fulton-Hickman Counties Economic Partnership. “The availability of quality affordable housing is foundational to retaining and recruiting jobs, attracting other investments, and improving our neighborhoods and the overall quality of life in the Twin Cities.”
Community Ventures’ efforts to help Burton become a homeowner would not be possible without the partnership of the City of Fulton and Fulton County.
“Our homes are where memories are made, and it has been our goal to have safe, sustainable, and affordable housing for our residents,” said Fulton City Manager Mike Gunn. “We are grateful to Community Ventures for helping us make the dream of homeownership a reality for Burton and hopefully for many more in our community.”
“Fulton County is on the cusp of expansion, and we are grateful to Community Ventures for providing resources and staff to assist us in these efforts,” said Fulton County Judge County Executive Jim Martin. “Today’s groundbreaking represents our first project with Community Ventures, and we appreciate their efforts to help us rebuild our community.”
To learn more about CV’s efforts to strengthen communities by helping Kentuckians become homeowners, visit www.cvky.org.
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About Community Ventures: Founded in 1982 as a community-based, non-profit organization, Community Ventures (CV) strengthens communities and improves the overall quality of life for Kentuckians by supporting job creation, small business ownership, and home ownership. CV is headquartered in Lexington with branch locations in Bowling Green, Campbellsville, Louisville, Mayfield, Millersburg, and Owensboro. For 20 consecutive years, CV has been named Microlender of the Year by the Kentucky Small Business Administration.