Roanoke – By next spring, senior citizens will be living inside a repurposed church building in southwest Roanoke, with help from local nonprofits, officials said Tuesday.
It’s an example of the creative approaches being taken to solve a lack of available housing in the city.
After 120 years, Trinity United Methodist Church at 303 Mountain Ave. S.W. held its final services in November 2023. The church property has since been acquired by Restoration Housing, a nonprofit directed by Isabel Thornton.
“We first started talking almost two years ago about this project. In development, that’s how long it takes to start projects like this,” Thornton said. “We had to do a lot of fundraising.”
The church annex building is being converted into 15 apartment units for people age 55 or older. It will be known as Trinity Commons.
Contractors on the third floor hammered away on the early stages of those conversions during a tour Tuesday morning.
In the church basement, 3rd Street Coffeehouse — known for hosting live music on Friday nights — will remain in operation during construction. Upstairs, the 1903-built former sanctuary has a leaky roof that will be restored before the worship hall is rented out to other congregations, Thornton said.
“We hope this will be something that everyone in the community can enjoy,” Thornton said.
Joanna Paysour is pastor for Greene Memorial United Methodist Church downtown, and said it was a big decision for the church congregation to part ways with their old sanctuary.
“There are people that have loved this place, this corner, and made it a welcome place for 120-plus years,” Paysour said. “Their bravery and their faith to see a new thing, a new day and a new hope for a project that could continue that welcome.”
The apartments will be considered affordable housing, leased to individuals and couples earning 60% or less of the area median income. Vouchers will make the rent affordable for the tenants in eight of the units, while the other seven are reserved for people exiting homelessness supported by Commonwealth Catholic Charities.
Homelessness in Roanoke among people older than 55 increased significantly — by more than 175% — between 2015 and 2022, data shows.
It’s not the only church building recently repurposed for housing. Across town in southeast, former Belmont Baptist Church was converted into luxury apartment units that hit the market late last year.
These developments are happening amid a yearslong, city-wide housing shortage that is driving up rental and residential home prices, which in turn contributes to rising homelessness.
Photos: Restoration Housing launches affordable rental units for seniors
Published February 19, 2025 in The Roanoke Times by Luke Weir.
