County earns Community Partner Award from Richmond Habitat for Humanity
Henrico County has received a Community Partner Award from Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity for improving access to affordable housing and uplifting neighborhoods and communities.
Fairfield District Supervisor Frank J. Thornton and other county officials accepted the award at the nonprofit organization’s annual meeting last week. Richmond Habitat recognized Henrico as the award’s government sector recipient as it honored other partners, including lenders, suppliers and faith organizations, for enhancing affordable housing throughout the region.
Henrico and Richmond Habitat have been collaborating to provide high-quality, affordable homes in the Highland Springs and Laburnum Gateway areas. A home on North Ivy Avenue was recently sold to a single mother following an extensive renovation. A home on Crawford Street is being built on a lot that had been owned by Richmond Habitat. For each project, Richmond Habitat has provided the labor for construction while Henrico has contributed funding to keep the homes affordable.
“Henrico County is proud to partner with nonprofit organizations, like Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity, to improve the quality and supply of affordable housing in our community,” said Eric S. Leabough, director of the Department of Community Revitalization. “Strong partnerships are absolutely critical to our success. By combining forces, we are able to help low-income residents realize the American Dream as first-time homebuyers and give them an opportunity to build wealth while strengthening neighborhoods and communities.”
Henrico’s recent and ongoing efforts to improve access to affordable housing and to spur reinvestment also include:
- Work with project:HOMES and the Maggie Walker Community Land Trust to rehabilitate or reconstruct homes on Ivy, Juniper Avenue, Oxnard Road and Emporia Street for sale to low-income buyers.
- A formal agreement with a developer and prospective owner – the fifth of its kind – that positions the federally subsidized, 114-unit Place One Apartments for $6.3 million in renovations, which began this summer.
- A plan to nominate the 228-acre Sandston Historic District for inclusion on the Virginia Landmarks Register and National Register of Historic Places, which would allow property owners to qualify for state and federal historic tax credits when they reinvest in their homes and businesses.
