VALDOSTA — The City of Valdosta hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday, at 920 West Street, located in one of the city’s Designated Revitalization Areas.

The reconstructed home was built using Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and is one of the resources the city is utilizing to eliminating substandard housing within the city limits by the year 2020.

Valdosta Mayor John Gayle, District 3 City Councilman Sonny Vickers, Neighborhood Development Division staff and contractors were at the event to help homeowner Luella Tillman and her family members cut the ribbon on her new home.

To be eligible for the reconstruction home program, a homeowner must meet income eligibility and must reside in the home, and the home must be deemed unsafe for occupancy. The city’s Rehab Construction Coordinator then conducts a feasibility study to determine if the cost of home repairs exceeds 50 percent of the home’s value. If so, the home is considered for reconstruction utilizing the various resources of applicable grant funding.

The CDBG program is designed to provide decent, safe and affordable housing and increase economic opportunities for citizens of the City of Valdosta. The Neighborhood Development Division oversees the CDBG entitlement funds and is responsible for directing, coordinating and managing all City of Valdosta programs receiving local, state, or federal funding for neighborhood and community development—such as the First Time Homebuyer Education, the Single Unit Housing Rehabilitation Program and the Southern Hospitality Group Workcamp.