Several older churches that no longer hold services are being turned into affordable living spaces and today Restoration Housing held a ribbon cutting on their 9th and biggest remodel ever. On Mountain Avenue in Old Southwest Roanoke, the former Trinity United Methodist Church annex will be turned into 15 units of affordable housing for the elderly, after a 3 million dollar makeover that should take about 14 months.
Historic state and federal tax credits will also help defray construction costs. The venerable 3rd Street Coffee House in the Trinity basement and the former worship hall right above it will remain open. Isabel Thornton is the executive director for Restoration Housing:
“Two forms of grant funding from the City of Roanoke that are both Federal Grants including Community Development Block Grant funding and then a large grant we got from the Roanoke Valley Allegheny Regional Commission to help ensure this project was fully funded. All we were doing last year was raising money.”
Published February 18, 2025 in WFIR News by Gene Marrano.
