VSH featured in North of the James

Virginia Supportive Housing was featured recently in the local paper, North of the James. Here’s a link to the full story so you can read for yourself!

Hops for Housing Happy Hour at Hardywood Brewery

Virginia Supportive Housing is on a mission to end homelessness, but we can’t do it without you. Come have a beer on our Junior Board and learn about the great work VSH does in Virginia, as well as how you can make an impact locally and statewide.

When: May 9, 2018 from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm

Where: Hardywood Park Craft  Brewery Tree & Gallery Bars at 2410 Ownby Lane, Richmond, VA

How you’re helping

This video shows what it’s like to go from being homeless for years to having a home of your own. Thanks to Virginia Beach Government for sharing Skully’s story. Today, Skully lives in Gosnold Apartments in Norfolk—all due to the wonderful donors who make stories like this possible. 

Anonymous gift helps reinvent Virginia’s first supportive housing community

Richmond, Va.—May 11, 2017—Allison Bogdanovic, Executive Director of Virginia Supportive Housing, announced today that the organization had received an unsolicited gift of $1 million from an anonymous donor. In the agency’s 29-year history, this is the largest single gift ever received at one time from an individual. Bogdanovic said the agency will use the gift to help renovate and expand its first supportive housing community, the historic New Clay House, located in Richmond’s Carver neighborhood.

The donor made a statement regarding the agency selection. “In our philanthropy, we have focused on smaller ‘under the radar’ organizations serving, hands-on, the neediest elements of our society—organizations where our contribution can make a very meaningful difference. Virginia Supportive Housing is definitely our kind of organization. It does absolutely amazing work with a population that clearly meets our criteria.  We are just glad we can assist them in having such a positive impact on the lives of so many people.”

“Humbled, grateful—and energized,” is how Bogdanovic described the mood around the agency after learning of the gift. “Our mission is to help end homelessness, and there’s so much work to be done. This gift puts us in a stronger position to help with that work.” Bogdanovic explained why this gift was especially meaningful. “We’ll use it to help reinvent our flagship property.”

When New Clay House opened in 1992, it was the first supportive housing community in Virginia. “We’ve opened 16 other properties since then. The expansion enables us to bring our knowledge full circle and build on it, while also almost doubling the number of residents,” explained Bogdanovic. “New Clay House does not meet the agency’s standards to foster independence and build community among residents.” The renovated community will include 67 units for formerly homeless individuals and 13 units for individuals earning 50% or less of Area Median Income.

Virginia Supportive Housing will apply $800,000 of the gift to support the expansion work and $200,000 to help provide direct services to the 248 clients the agency currently serves in Richmond.

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About Virginia Supportive Housing

VSH is Virginia’s first and leading supportive housing agency, serving more than 1,500 individuals annually in Richmond, Hampton Roads, and Charlottesville. Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Richmond, the agency developed and manages 543 units of supportive housing in 16 multi-family properties. VSH also partners with other landlords and provides mobile case management to residents living in those apartments. The non-profit organization administers the largest Supportive Services for Veteran Families program in Virginia, playing a key role in preventing and ending veteran homelessness.

With its strong record of success, 97% of clients not returning to homelessness, VSH has helped communities save millions of dollars in medical services, shelters and feeding programs, judicial services, and other public resources. www.virginiasupportivehousing.org

Crescent Square receives ULI Vision Award

Our newest community, Crescent Square, in Virginia Beach, received the Innovative Deal of the Year award from Urban Land Institute Virginia (ULI Virginia). ULI Virginia announced the award at its 2016 Vision Awards ceremony on December 1, 2016, in Glen Allen, VA. The program celebrates projects that advance the ULI Virginia’s mission to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide.

We completed construction in April 2016. Today, Crescent Square is home to 80 formerly homeless and low-income individuals from the South Hampton Roads region.  “It’s exciting to be recognized for a project that we are so proud of and one that helps so many people,” said Julie Anderson, VSH’s Senior Housing Development Officer.

Crescent Square is among a prestigious group of award recipients that include Virginia Capital Trail for Best Overall and Best Community Impact, Quirk Hotel for Best Renovation or Adaptive Reuse, and another Virginia Beach development, 25th Street, for Mixed Use Development for Best Public / Private Partnership.

Crescent Square is VSH’s fifth development in South Hampton Roads and the second one in Virginia Beach. It’s also our first mixed-income community in Hampton Roads. The building is EarthCraft Virginia certified for energy and resource efficiency and includes photovoltaic solar panels to reduce the building’s energy load and a solar thermal hot water system to provide hot water to the building.  All appliances and windows are Energy Star rated, and all water fixtures are low flow.

“Crescent Square represents a tremendous collaboration with public and private partners who are vested in meeting the region’s demand for supportive and affordable housing,” said Allison Bogdanović, executive director of VSH. “Local officials recognize that supportive housing is a proven and cost-effective model that works, as evidenced by the fact that 97% of our clients do not return to homelessness.”