HOME Funds Help Establish Fourth Regional Single Room Occupancy Project

Early stages of planning for South Bay Apartments in Portsmouth, VA

South Bay Apartments in Portsmouth, Virginia, a 60-unit facility for the formerly homeless, offers residents more than just a place to stay--it offers them a supportive community. Funded largely through HUD HOME program grants, the project opened its doors last February.

The facility is the Commonwealth’s fourth regional single room occupancy (SRO) and the first newly-constructed SRO project. Funding was a collaboration of HOME grants, Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) funds, Public and Indian Housing vouchers and resources from both the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and the Virginia Housing Development Authority.

The 60-unit facility, South Bay Apartments, as it currently stands, complete with solar panels.

South Bay provides temporary shelter, in the form of studio apartments, for formerly homeless single adults. Each of the units has about 380 square feet and includes a bed, dresser, table, chair, kitchenette and full bathroom. Six of the units are completely accessible. The facility is the third permanent supportive housing development for homeless adults in the South Hampton Roads area.

The localities of Portsmouth, Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake provided funding and rental subsidies, and the Portsmouth Redevelopment and Housing Authority donated the land. Additional funding sources included the syndication of Low Income Housing Tax Credits, loans from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development and Virginia Housing Development Authority and grants from private foundations.  Total development costs were approximately $6 million.

Breakdown of HUD funds for South Bay project: