LIBERTY CITY, Fla. – It's being called a revolution in Liberty City. A new state of the art development is now in the heart of the city and it's promoting education.
The Tree of Hope was planted Friday, symbolizing what the Villages Apartments in Liberty City will become.
"Liberty city needs it because it is obviously on the news that you report every day," T. Willard Fair from the Urban League of Greater Miami said. "Something is broken in Liberty City. The children are killing each other."
The $40 million state of the art residential community along 69th Street consists of 150 units ranging from 1-bedroom to 3-bedroom units.
Each unit will have top of the line amenities, including a security gate and exercise complex.
Now that the project has come full circle, community leaders announced the "We Rise" educational initiative.
At the epicenter of the affordable housing will be an educational village that will consist of a learning center and mentoring programs. When children are done with school they can come back to the centers and continue learning.
"It's going to lift up this community. It's going to help us improve our schools. It's going to help us improve the aspirations of our young people," U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson said.
The project is especially meaningful to construction worker, Edwin Key, who helped build the center.
He said he grew up in Liberty City and knows how valuable the center will be for the community.
"The project is good. The company is good," Key said. "I'm an employee with it and I'm thankful for the situation, and I know that people who reside here in the future will be thankful as well."