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Despite another year of challenging economic times, Housing & Neighborhood Preservation achieved many accomplishments in 2013. After many years of hard work and collaboration with our neighboring cities and nonprofit partners, we celebrated the completion of several projects that enhanced affordable housing opportunities in the city and region.
We continued to strengthen our partnership with the faith community and local nonprofits through the BEACH Community Partnership. Together we developed a plan that identifies strategic steps the city can take to increase effectiveness of our effort to address homelessness and serve the needs of all who experience a housing crisis.
And, we continued to promote vibrant, well-maintained neighborhoods through ongoing code enforcement activity. We also contributed funding towards a major home rehabilitation project to improve housing quality for low-income senior residents in the city.
Highlighted below are some of our accomplishments and activities from 2013. |
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PROMOTING VIBRANT, WELL-MAINTAINED NEIGHBORHOODS
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Addressed 38,742 total code violations, including:
- 8,988 overgrown grass and weeds cases
- 8,603 accumulation of trash and junk cases
- 2,827 inoperable vehicle cases
- 99 unsafe structures
- 499 red tags (unsafe gas appliances or electrical systems)
- 1,612 recreational equipment storage violations
- 712 commercial vehicle parking violations
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Conducted 2,420 rental housing inspections.
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Provided $500,000 in funding towards the renovation costs for 30 apartments at Beth Sholom Sands Apartments in the College Park area of the city. The funding helped make possible the total project costs of $10 million, which significantly improved housing quality for 120 low-income senior residents.
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EXPANDING HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES
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PREVENTING & ENDING HOMELESSNESS
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Helped 2,339 total households to maintain or obtain decent, safe and sanitary housing through various rental housing assistance programs.
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Co-sponsored Project Homeless Connect with the BEACH Community Partnership on Jan. 24, at the Virginia Beach United Methodist Church. The event connected approximately 230 individuals and families to a variety of services and resources to assist them in moving closer to ending their homelessness.
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Continued to support Connection Point of Virginia Beach (757-227-5932), the centralized referral call center for families and individuals experiencing a housing crisis. Connection Point received 16,086 calls during the year -- a 48 percent increase from 2011 -- and provided $20,110 in assistance since May 1 for homeless prevention and rapid-rehousing.
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With funding from the Hampton Roads Community Foundation, Housing & Neighborhood Preservation initiated and coordinated a comprehensive study of the city's housing crisis response system. Based on the study, the city developed a Strategic Plan to End Homelessness, which was adopted by the City Council on Oct. 22.
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Partnered with the Virginia Beach Human Rights Commission, Volunteers of America and BEACH in hosting a donation drive during Homelessness Awareness Week.
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ENHANCING HOUSING AFFORDABILITY
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On June 28, Habitat for Humanity of South Hampton Roads (Habitat SHR) held a Golden Hammer Ceremony to celebrate the beginning of its Kenley Commons project. The development will provide affordable homeownership opportunities to six families with a member suffering from a chronic disability or illness. Housing & Neighborhood Preservation provided $168,760 to help fund the site-work of the development.
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Celebrated the completion of the first workforce housing units in Virginia Beach, located at Riverlake. Six of the seven workforce housing units have been sold. The Workforce Housing Program helps eligible buyers purchase a workforce housing unit with special financing that allows for more affordable monthly mortgage payments.
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Continued 3rd year of partnership with Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office to offer free graffiti abatement services for residents. Abated 72 incidences of graffiti on private property. |
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Hotel Motel Inspection Task Force inspected 117 hotels and motels throughout the city (1,181 total rooms) before the tourist season.
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Rehabilitated 26 homes to bring them into code compliance, reduce future maintenance costs and improve energy efficiency and accessibility.
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In partnership with four neighboring cities, Housing & Neighborhood Preservation contributed to Heron's Landing in Chesapeake, the region's fourth permanent supportive housing complex for single homeless adults. The city contributed $480,000 in funding towards the project and ongoing housing assistance to eight residents through housing vouchers.
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On March 19, approximately 50 to 75 citizens attended the Housing and Homelessness Information Fair at the Renaissance Academy to learn about the variety of housing and related resources available in the community.
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Celebrated the opening of Cedar Grove in Virginia Beach on Sept. 26. Housing & Neighborhood Preservation contributed $450,000 towards the project, the region's first permanent rental housing complex developed specifically for disabled and/or homeless veterans. The Virginia Beach Community Development Corporation and the Southeastern Virginia Housing Corporation served as co-developers of the project. Housing & Neighborhood Preservation is providing housing assistance to the residents using 32 housing vouchers, which during a span of 30 years, will provide more than 900 years of housing stability for residents.
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 Virginia Beach Housing and Neighborhood Preservation does business with the federal fair housing law and section 504 program accessibility requirements. The department complies with the fair housing act and provides reasonable accommodations and modifications to persons with disabilities. The department does not discriminate on the bases of race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, national origin, sexual orientation or gender identity in admission or access to its programs. |
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