Our Programs
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Unlocking Affordable Housing
For us, creating affordable housing opportunities is the foundation of lasting opportunity. Every day, our team works with partners, builders, and families to turn the dream of homeownership into reality.
Together, we’re expanding access to safe, stable homes that strengthen families and neighborhoods. Contact us to learn how you can be part of this impact.
Boosting Economic Development
We believe entrepreneurship is a powerful path to community stability and economic development. By equipping aspiring business owners with training, resources, and support, we help turn ideas into opportunities and reduce barriers to employment. Together with our partners and neighbors, we are building a culture of innovation and self-sufficiency. Have you heard of the Purple Project? Now’s the time to learn more!
See how our work translates into stability and advancement through the voices and experiences of real residents!
Our Story
St. Jude Great Commission Community Development Corporation (St. Jude GCCDC) is a faith-based nonprofit founded in 2016 in St. Petersburg, Florida, with roots in the community outreach of St. Jude Great Commission Church.
The organization was created in response to the economic decline of the Highland Oaks neighborhood and similar communities that have been historically overlooked by traditional investment. From its beginning, St. Jude GCCDC has recognized that stable, affordable housing is a cornerstone of reducing poverty and that true community change requires more than bricks and mortar.
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Guided by the belief that homeownership is a pathway to generational wealth and economic stability, St. Jude GCCDC combines affordable housing development with wraparound programs in financial education, workforce readiness, and entrepreneurship.
Flagship initiatives like the Welcome H.O.M.E. (Home Ownership Made Excellent) program prepare first-time buyers through workshops, counseling partnerships, and down payment assistance connections, while the Rent Your Way to Homeownership model helps renters strengthen credit and financial literacy on the path to buying. Additional programs, such as the Purple Project Women’s Financial Success Initiative, provide targeted support for economic empowerment.
The organization operates with a collaborative model that brings together government agencies, financial institutions, builders, local businesses, and residents to create sustainable solutions. St. Jude GCCDC’s volunteer-led governance structure ensures accountability while prioritizing the voices of the communities it serves. Revenue from affordable and market-rate home sales is reinvested into future projects, ensuring long-term financial stability and the ability to scale impact.
Unlike organizations that focus only on building houses, St. Jude GCCDC takes a holistic approach—connecting housing with opportunity, faith with action, and families with tools to thrive. By investing in families and neighborhoods, St. Jude GCCDC works to alleviate poverty, expand prosperity, and build resilient communities where every resident has the chance to succeed.
Our Team.
"Our primary goal is to help families build generational wealth while making our neighborhoods great places to live!"
Jo Ann S. Nesbitt, MSHS
President/CEO
Home Ownership Consultant
Angie Thomas
Director/Treasurer
Jonathan Simon
Director
Mike Davenport
Director
Patricia Grant
Director/Secretary