The Charlottesville Area Community Foundation is partnering with University students to develop Charlottesville’s first apartment building specifically for the city’s homeless community.
The 60-room building will be modeled after other single-room occupancy projects. CACF’s Director of Programs Holly Hatcher noted that this style of low-cost, studio apartments have proven to be an essential component in reducing homelessness.
A second key element of the project is the combination of safe affordable housing with a support system, she noted. Residents will have access to on-site services and will receive assistance from social workers. Hatcher said this makes the program unique and “empowers residents to maintain their housing and improve their quality of life.”
University Architecture students have worked in a class throughout this semester to choose the site of the development and to create possible designs for the actual building. Architecture lecturer Betsy Roettger explained that her students chose her class because they wanted to work in a community instead of just creating theoretical models in a classroom.
She said the class narrowed 10 potential building sites down to four areas for which students then designed their building. The students will present their work next week to members of Virginia Supportive Housing, a non-profit organization based in Richmond that received CACF’s $75,000 Catalyst Grant, which is designed to fund unmet community needs in Charlottesville. The designs will then be integrated into the final plan for the building. Hatcher said she hopes construction will begin by 2010.
Charlottesville Mayor Dave Norris said he believes the new permanent homeless housing development will be helpful in the fight to end homelessness in Charlottesville because this kind of permanent housing has not been available in the past. Norris, who also works as executive director of People and Congregations Engaged in Ministry, a local shelter, has been working on the development end of the project.
“It’s going to make a huge difference and some cases it’s going to actually save our community money,” Norris said. “By getting them housing, we’re actually going to be able to reduce the drain on the public expenditures and improve their quality of life. “
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