Morehouse College working to revitalize neighborhood

ATLANTA - When Walter Massey became president of Morehouse College in 1995, he was shocked to see the surrounding neighborhood in disrepair. <br> <br> But Massey, a 1958 Morehouse graduate, hopes a recent $526,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will help revitalize the area. <br> <br> Massey asked top administrators to talk to leaders in the Ashby Heights, West End and Washington Heights neighborhoods to see what the private school could do to revitalize the area. <br> <br> The HUD grant will be used to repair 14 houses owned by elderly residents, build six affordable homes on vacant lots and hold workshops on homeownership for low- and moderate-income families. <br> <br> Morehouse is donating more than $300,000 to the effort and other groups including the city of Atlanta are pitching in, as well. The project is still being planned, and work isn&#39;t expected to begin for several months.