SPOTLIGHT PROJECT: Virginia Beach nonprofit to build more affordable housing near the Oceanfront
Author: Dana Smith
Published: 5:46 PM EDT September 7, 2022
Updated: 8:26 PM EDT September 7, 2022
Judeo-Christian Outreach Center executives say a lack of safe, affordable housing is a big problem in the resort city.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — More affordable housing is coming to Virginia Beach.
Executives at the Judeo-Christian Outreach Center are behind a new plan that will bring dozens of single bedroom units to its campus near the Oceanfront.
A lack of affordable housing in Virginia Beach is something JCOC executive director Todd Walker said he sees every day.
“We have 55 beds right now in our shelter. We’re at capacity pretty much every night,” Walker said. “I’ve been here 10 years I’ve never had a day where I was like, ‘Where are the homeless people?’ We’re always at capacity.”
His team is hoping to change that.
A big project is in the works. Walker said construction crews will tear down their old buildings at their Virginia Beach campus near the Oceanfront and build a new 38-unit affordable housing complex in its place.
“Rarely do you find somebody who operates a homeless shelter start to create affordable housing,” Walker said. “We see it on the front end, and we know how challenging it is trying to help our clients find housing in a very, very tight market. Sometimes when you see an issue, you got to be the one to step up and try to address the issue.”
Today Walker announced his team raised more than 80% of their $14 million funding goal to build the new homes.
The money comes from federal and local grants, and donations from the community – including $1 million from Virginia Beach resident Joan Brock and $2 million from Norfolk doctor Paul Chidester and his family.
Additional portfolio information can be found here.