After multiple tries, Pastor Dwayne Jones' Mount Aaron Village project has been awarded a state grant worth around $14 million.

The extra funding will help break ground on the more than $23 million affordable housing project in October.

"It’s been a long time coming," Jones said. "It’s been a three-year, almost four years of seeking the funding."

Jones will break ground on 18 townhomes and 60 different apartment units at the corner of Genesee and Grey streets. The complex will have a private playground, a parking lot and a community center.

"This is for anyone who wants affordable, clean housing," he said.

Back in February, during the State of the City address, Mayor Byron Brown noted Mount Aaron Village as one of several affordable housing projects in the works.

"As prices appreciate, we must protect those who have lived in Buffalo for generations, but are struggling," the mayor said at the time.

Senator Timothy Kennedy has also been a strong supporter of the project.

"It's going to be the anchor tenant right here on Genesee Street, breathing life right back into our community, being part of the renaissance that is Buffalo," he said. 

Jones said a true renaissance can only be achieved if all communities of all socio-economic backgrounds experience it.

"We need to have all communities come up," he said. "This is a part of the east side that will stop gentrification, with people that have lived in the neighborhood for over 60, 70 years. Now they can stay in their neighborhoods."