HUD Joins Nfl To Kick Off New Youth Center During Superbowl Week

At 30,000 square-feet, Detroit’s center at old Herman Gardens largest of all NFL-sponsored YET facilities

DETROIT - Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson joined National Football League Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick in the groundbreaking of a new $6 million youth center at Gardenview Estates, a new HUD-funded, mixed-income community that will replace the old Herman Gardens public housing development. The groundbreaking is part of a series of weeklong events leading up to Sunday’s Super Bowl XL.

Since 1993, the National Football League (NFL) and Super Bowl host cities have partnered to build Youth Education Town (YET) Centers in the city that hosts the bowl game. The NFL donates $1 million towards the development of the centers with the host city matching that amount. The Detroit Super Bowl XL Host Committee also joined with community sponsors, including the Detroit Lions. All YET centers are managed by local affiliates of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

“This is the second consecutive year a HOPE VI community has been selected for a NFL YET Center,” said Jackson. “Detroit joins Jacksonville, Fla. with this distinction. Building the center in this location is a big win for the community where children and adults will have access to sports facilities, meeting rooms and other important resources that are at the heart of building a better neighborhood.”

The YET Center in Detroit is the NFL’s 14th facility of its kind. The NFL and Super Bowl host cities partner to create centers in areas where there is a large population of children and where there is not a similar type of facility. This new 30,000 square-foot center will be located adjacent to the Mae C. Jemison Academy (formerly Herman School) in the Gardenview Estates community. The center will have state-of-the art facilities including a gymnasium and athletic field, teen and learning centers, game room, multimedia studio, arts/crafts center and playground.

When construction gets underway this spring, Gardenview Estates will encompass more than 900 new housing units, including affordable and market rate rental housing and single-family homes. The Detroit Housing Commission was awarded a $24 million HOPE VI grant to redevelop the old public housing development. The redevelopment plan also includes a renovation of the Jemison Academy, a community/resource center and commercial properties.
HUD is the nation’s housing agency committed to increasing homeownership, particularly among minorities; creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development as well as enforces the nation’s fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov.

Contact Information

Donna White

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

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