Jericho Village resident Keoni Hudson, left,with Janet Collinsworth, founder and CEO of Agape Resource & Assistance Center, becomes emotional while describing what the Jericho Village community has meant to her family. Sonia Duggan\/Murphy Monitor<\/p>\n
More than 300 community members gathered Thursday, June 25, to celebrate the official grand opening of Jericho Village, a milestone years in the making that city leaders and organizers say will provide not only affordable housing for the resident but also hope and long-term support.<\/p>\n
Located at 511 W. Brown St., Jericho Village is Wylie\u2019s first income-based urban housing village. The 38-unit development is a project of Plano-based Agape Resource & Assistance Center, founded by CEO Janet Collinsworth to help women and families transition from homelessness, domestic violence and human trafficking. The community offers studio to three-bedroom apartments, including ADA-accessible units, along with on-site education, counseling and other wraparound services that promote long-term stability.<\/p>\n
The celebration featured food trucks, face painting, a Wylie Area Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting ceremony and remarks from civic and community leaders marking the project\u2019s significance.<\/p>\n
Serving as master of ceremonies, Hope for the Cities Executive Director Jon Bailey praised the perseverance of Agape founder and CEO Janet Collinsworth, noting that many people in attendance had watched the vision evolve from an idea into reality.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has been such a privilege to have walked alongside her, to have prayed with her, to encourage, to be challenged and to be inspired,\u201d Bailey said. \u201cSo many of you today are inspired by who she is and what she has been able to accomplish.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wylie Mayor Matthew Porter recalled one of his first meetings after taking office, when he was introduced to the Jericho Village concept.<\/p>\n
Porter said the name of Agape immediately resonated with him because of a family heirloom bearing the same Greek word, which\u00a0represents unconditional love.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is exactly what we are called to do as a community,\u201d Porter said. \u201cTo take care of everyone, not just one specific type of person, not just one group of people that vote for you. You\u2019re supposed to care for everyone within that community.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said Jericho Village represents more than affordable apartments because residents will receive services designed to help them build lasting stability.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means it\u2019s not a Band-Aid solution of just a roof over the head for today with no thoughts for tomorrow,\u201d Porter said. \u201cInstead, those services provide a new opportunity for generational uplifting.\u201d<\/p>\n
A congressional recognition from Keith Self was presented during the ceremony, commending Collinsworth, along with those of Agape Resources, and the many community partners who helped bring the vision to life.<\/p>\n
\u201cJericho Village stands as a powerful example of what can be accomplished when compassion is spirited action,\u201d the inscription read. \u201cThe opportunities created through this community will strengthen families, foster independence and provide hope to those who need it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Taking the podium, Collinsworth thanked the hundreds of volunteers, donors, churches, board members and community partners who supported the project, but first directed the crowd\u2019s attention elsewhere.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout God, we would not be here,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was a calling for each and every one of us to serve our neighbors and to love our neighbors as ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Collinsworth reminded attendees that they are part of the change, referring to Ghandi\u2019s \u201cBe the change you want to see in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe collectively \u2014 all of us, each one of us here \u2014 we\u2019re in the hope business,\u201d she said. \u201cWe do that by standing in the gap for our friends and our neighbors that struggle each and every day just to have a roof.\u201d<\/p>\n
Agape Chief of Staff Christin Mixon reflected on watching the property transform from \u201ca flat piece of ground\u201d into a community made possible by volunteers, churches, businesses and civic organizations.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat you see around you today is the result of prayer, generosity and partnerships,\u201d Mixon said. \u201cBut today is not the finish line. In a lot of ways, today is the starting line. The opening of Jericho Village represents the beginning of a new chapter and a larger vision.\u201d<\/p>\n
Collinsworth emphasized that the housing itself is only one part of the organization\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe secret to transforming lives is not a roof,\u201d she said \u2026\u201cThe secret sauce is really the wraparound services. It\u2019s the love, it\u2019s the prayer and hope. We are in the hope business.\u201d<\/p>\n
The same educational, counseling and empowerment services already offered through Agape will now be available on-site to Jericho Village residents, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not just a roof, and it\u2019s not just a key that we hand you to get into your door,\u201d Collinsworth said. \u201cWe are your family. We are your village.\u201d<\/p>\n
Perhaps the day\u2019s most emotional moment came when Collinsworth invited Jericho Village\u2019s first resident, Keoni Hudson, to speak.<\/p>\n
Hudson\u2019s story reflects the vision behind Jericho Village. After escaping a domestic violence situation, she moved from Agape\u2019s transitional housing into the village with her two children. Organizers said other women will follow the same path, creating space for new families entering Agape\u2019s program while former residents continue building independent lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love Jericho,\u201d Hudson said. \u201cIt\u2019s more than just the roof. It\u2019s the community. It\u2019s the help that you get. It\u2019s the services that you receive. It\u2019s everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said paying an income-based rent has allowed her to support her children, pay for childcare and return to school without relying on government assistance.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m able to enroll myself back in school,\u201d Hudson said. \u201cThis has helped my family in so many ways.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked why communities need places like Jericho Village, Hudson fought back tears.<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody understands how hard it is for people to just be able to afford the basic things of life,\u201d she said. \u201cJust to be able to have someone that looks out for you and leaves you something left over so you can provide clothes and shoes for your kids \u2014 every community needs this. This is such a blessing.\u201d<\/p>\n
After the program, guests toured the apartments, playground, community center and garden, getting a firsthand look at what organizers hope will serve as a model for supportive housing across North Texas.<\/p>\n