RIVERVIEW, Fla. — A local church and other partners in Hillsborough County are working to fill a need with affordable housing for seniors in the community.
"This is the community I live in. This is the church, that I was a member of before going into ministry, for 22 years, so this community means a tremendous amount to me,” said Rev. Karen Jackson Sims, the Senior Pastor of Mt. Zion AME Church of Riverview.
The community means so much that when Rev. Jackson Sims heard a crushing question of people in her community, it broke her heart.
"We had some seniors who came here to the church that were homeless, and they asked could they sleep on the church grounds? And at one time, we had an awning on the side, and they wanted to sleep under the awning, so that if it rained or anything, they’d be okay,” said Jackson Sims. "One woman, her husband had served in the United States military for years, and when he passed, she just didn't have the income to keep up with her home, and she looked at me and said to me, ‘my husband fought for this country, why won't this country help me?'"
That was enough for the pastor to step out on faith.
"We looked at the three acres we had out back, and we said we have to do something,” said Jackson Sims. “We wanted to move from seniors sleeping on the ground to having a quality roof over their head and a place they could call home."
The wheels started turning, then a vision turned into a partnership.
On Thursday, the church, Tampa Housing Authority, and other partners broke ground on Zion Village, a 75-unit affordable housing community for seniors.
“The range of qualification is between 30 to 70 AMI, which is Area Median Income,” said David Iloanya, the Director of Real Estate Development with the Tampa Housing Authority.
Iloanya said units will be available in late 2025.
“Everywhere that we can get the opportunity to participate in making sure that we're increasing affordable housing in our community, we will play a part,” said Iloanya.
With dirt moving and a little prayer, a village of helpers is filling a critical need in the community.
“Things that you and I take for granted, they can't do,” said Rev. Jackson Sims. “They can't take a shower every day, they can't change their clothes, but they want to be able to live in dignity."
