VETERANS
A new round of home giveaways kicked off in 2016 with A
Home for a Hero program. At the direction of the city council,
GENESYS Community Development Corp. was contracted to
oversee project management and identify qualified veterans
who were then entered into a lottery.
“We are proud to support our veterans and honored to
recognize their sacrifices to protect us and our way of life,”
Mayor Greg Oravec says. “It’s exciting to think that we can
accomplish so many good things with just one program.”
FORECLOSED PROPERTIES RENOVATED
Port St. Lucie was awarded $17 million from the federal
Neighborhood Stabilization Program to acquire, redevelop or
renovate foreclosed properties to prevent abandonment that
leads to blight. Several properties were earmarked as affordable
housing for veterans.
Coast Guard Petty Officer Raymond Concepcion and his
wife, Cassie, were selected to receive a mortgage-free, singlefamily
home. Gold Star mother Linda Schumann, mother
of deceased Army soldier Jordan C. Schumann, pulled their
name during a lottery that was held on Veterans Day last year.
“The appeal of the area was clean, safe and inviting for
our family,” Cassie says. “The boys are super excited. We all
want a garden.” Ray, Cassie and sons Eddie, 11, and Xavier,
8, are living in Big Pine Key, just north of Key West and will
relocate when the school year ends.
Cassie learned of the lottery from Becca Lane, a real estate
agent whom she befriended when the family lived in Port
St. Lucie and who accepted the award on the family’s behalf.
“She’s been there for the family and is a great friend,” Cassie
says.
The timing was critical: It was two days before the application
deadline. And in one day she submitted all the required
documentation. “They told me I sent the most complete
paperwork of all the applicants,” Cassie says.
The family had lived here while Ray was stationed at the
Coast Guard station in Fort Pierce in 2012. During his tour,
he participated in two rescues on the same day at the inlet.
Five men were fished out of the water and a child and three
adults were scooped up in 9-foot seas after the swells nearly
capsized their boat. Cassie, a psych nurse who treats homeless
people at a detoxification unit at the Lower Keys Medical >>
38 Port St. Lucie Magazine
CITY OF PORT ST. LUCIE
Chase Bank donated a foreclosed home to retired Army Spc. Hugo Gonzalez
and his family. The home was renovated by Building Homes for Heroes
to help the Purple Heart recipient navigate everyday living.
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