People all over the region can testify to the need for the latest project from STEPS. Take 64-year-old Gregory Greene, who said he’d been in a shelter more than 34 times since he moved to Charlottesville.
“Probably more than that. I ain’t never had a place of my own,” said the former security guard.
After dozens of attempts to find a home, Greene landed at The Crossings, a supportive housing community for formerly unsheltered people developed and managed by not-for-profit organization Virginia Supportive Housing.
“I can lock my door. I got my own bathroom. I put the air conditioning on when it’s hot,” said Greene.
It’s a concept Virginia Supportive Housing and the non-profit organization STEPS is planning to replicate in Farmville. Last year, the organizations announced their plan to build a 60 to 80-unit apartment building with an emergency shelter and supportive housing for unsheltered residents.
“We’re still in the stage that we would call pre-development,” said Julie Anderson, Director of Real Estate Development at Virginia Supportive Housing. “We’re identifying the site. We’re plotting out the timeline and identifying our funders.”