ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – One organization aims to help families find affordable housing, through the restoration of vacant properties in Southeast Roanoke.
Back in March Restoration Housing purchased one of its 7th rehabilitation projects and Thursday was their ribbon-cutting.
While Virginia has a statewide shortage of affordable rental units, they’re able to take homes that have been vacant and restore historical details with better appliances.
Although it may look outdated now, it will be transformed into a beautiful home.
“This one is 120 years old. So, it was built in 1903. And this house is like many of the houses on this block where they were built, largely for railroad workers, really beautiful old Victorian homes.” said Restoration Housing Executive Director Isabelle Thornton.
Thornton says their mission is to give people affordable and high quality homes.
“I think it’s so important to the broader neighborhood to bring properties back to life,” added Thornton. “But they also decrease crime and vandalism when you have activity in a house again.”
Restoration Housing makes sure the rent does not exceed 30% of the family’s income.
“A lot of burdens that families deal with when it comes to housing costs and knowing that these housing costs aren’t going to skyrocket,” exclaimed Thornton. “Having stability and security and knowing that you have a landlord that you can depend on and that cares about the property and cares about family.”
Thornton says southeast Roanoke has the highest vacancy rate, around 18%.
“Even on this block alone, this house across the street is vacant, it doesn’t really look like it, but it is this house was vacant, that blue one was vacant. And we did the blue one, actually two years ago or a year and a half ago,” said Thornton.
The completion of the project is projected to be done by May of next year.
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Published October 12, 2023 on WDBJ7 by Amaiya Howard.
