VCHA gets near $3 million to house the homeless

Feb. 16—HENDERSON — The corner of Rockspring and Powell streets aren't much to look at right now, being covered with brush, litter and one big cracked concrete slab.

The Vance County Housing Authority is planning to change that by building eight houses there and two more on Denver Street for those experiencing homelessness or housing instability. It'll be named Rockspring-Powell Place after its primary location.

Last July, the city set aside three lots on Rockspring and Powell, giving the organization an option to purchase them. Getting a nearby privately-owned lot didn't pan out, so the VCHA is looking at a lot on Denver Street, off the southern end of Dabney Drive, instead.

The VCHA will be doing so with a chunk of the $2.9 million the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency awarded them on Feb. 6. The state-level agency reported as much in a press release at the time.

"The North Carolina Housing Finance Agency is committed to supporting our state's most vulnerable citizens," said Scott Farmer, NCHFA executive director. "We are proud to create programs and provide funding that will establish safe and affordable housing in communities statewide that can connect people with limited options to the services they need to lead happy, successful lives."

That money is a forgivable loan — in 10 years.

The 10 houses will be single-family with two bedrooms apiece. There aren't any other details on their square footage yet — though they might be a little smaller than initially expected, Hawkins explained. The architect for the project is Clinton E. Gravely and Associates out of Greensboro.

The locations will offer more than just a few walls — though, those are important in molding productive citizens of Vance County as well. Transitional Therapeutic Services of Henderson will assist residents with getting social security cards, driver's licenses and teaching employability skills.

Residents will have their rent subsidized based on their income, Hawkins explained. The SHARP funding will handle that and the cost of services offered. The VCHA will cover utilities as well. The plan is to send potential residents through an application process and screenings, though the details haven't been hammered out yet.

"The City of Henderson assisted with providing technical assistance to the VCHA with their grant application as they pursued this funding from the NCHFA," City Manager Terrell Blackmon. "Also, the lots to be acquired with the grant funds for the construction of the new homes are currently owned by the City of Henderson with public utilities already available at these sites."

Indeed, the city did a lot of legwork to get the project off the ground, said Hawkins. Mayor Melissa Elliott mirrored that sentiment.

"I'm very excited about it," she said. "It's the beginning of a great relationship between our city and HUD."

Both Blackmon and Elliott penned letters of support for the project.

"I would like to thank God for guiding me through this process," said Hawkins. "Without Him, it would not have been possible. I'm definitely excited about getting started on this project and I thank all who have supported the Vance County Housing Authority thus far."

The homes, if completed, would represent the first expansion to the VCHA since its founding in 1981. They've been overseeing Lincoln Heights Apartments, a modest collection of duplexes off Hawkins has been with the organization for around seven years now.

"We're a small team," Hawkins explained. "It was a lot of work, but I'm thankful that we did it and didn't give up on it."