Alexandria nonprofit ALIVE! has a new trio of affordable housing units thanks to some help from HomeAid National Capital Region, a nonprofit building homes for those in need.
The project took a three-story, single-family home and created three separate housing units along with office space.
According to a release:
Together with trade partners, HomeAid and Richmond American renovated a shared housing facility to create private units to accommodate three Alexandria families for up to two years. This space owned by ALIVE! provides up to 24 months of transitional housing and support for women and their families. The first floor was reconfigured to include a residential apartment as well as staff office space, a resident common area, a half bath for staff, and additional storage space under the stairwell. The second and third floors were also renovated into two separate residential units.
The HomeAid website said the building received a separate entrance and an added private half-bath, along with extensive other renovations.
“This project was completed with the help of Builder Captain Richmond American and 21 trade partners in just under 6 weeks,” the website said, “and ensured that this space is more efficient and dignified for the families that will call this home for up to 24 months.”
The release said the HomeAid project saved ALIVE! $107,739 on what was priced as a $111,099 job. The project started in April and finished on July 25.
“Our shelter now feels like a home rather than an institution,” said ALIVE! Executive Director Jennifer Ayers. “We strive to offer the families that are transitioning from crisis to stability a place where they can feel at home an begin to renew and transform their lives. Spaces created by HomeAid allow people to begin to feel they have agency and privacy over how they live and how they grow into the next part of their lives and ultimately having a place where they can thrive.”