Did you know that affordable housing can be a launching pad to achieving dreams? It’s true! Once the worry over not being able to pay the rent every month is removed, residents feel freer to think about their hopes and dreams for the future, and explore how to achieve them. This is the case with
State of Emergency?
The Shutdown Has Real Consequences for RVA’s Residents The government shutdown, now in its fourth week, continues with no end in sight. Whether or not you believe there is a humanitarian crisis along our country’s border with Mexico, a very real one is brewing closer to home. The longer the shutdown continues, the greater its
Seniors Cannot Age in Place Without Access to Oral Health Services
Those having dental insurance may take for granted a twice-yearly preventive-care visit to the dentist. But for many seniors on a fixed income—and even more so for seniors on the lower end of the economic spectrum—a routine cleaning is a luxury. Forty-nine percent of seniors 65 and older who have not seen a dentist in a 12-month period cite cost as the No. 1 reason for not visiting the dentist more frequently. That number skyrockets to 69 percent of low-income seniors, according to the American Dental Association’s Health Policy Institute.
Affordable Senior Housing Coming to Chesterfield
We’re happy to announce the 2019 development of Market Square IV, a new, affordable 60-unit apartment community for senior residents of modest means. The community will have one- and two-bedroom units, for which rents will range from $600-800/month. Market Square IV will be constructed during the second quarter of 2019, on land BHC already owns
A Real-Time Example of the Affordable Housing Crisis
“Vagrants.” “Squatters.” “Trespassers.” All are names we call people living in places they don’t pay for. Sometimes we forget there are human beings with hopes, dreams and families behind the names. As with most vacant buildings across our city, vagrancy can be a problem and the former Quality Inn Hotel on West Broad Street is no
JOBS Program Works for Older Adults
Aside from financial insecurity, long-term unemployment can have devastating effects on individuals and their families. Some employers are reluctant to hire the long-term unemployed; and for older applicants, securing a job can be doubly difficult. Re-entry to the workforce after a long absence can be a daunting prospect, without help. David Woolridge had been unemployed
Meet Shanté’s New Family
When Shanté moved into BHC’s Lincoln Mews community with her son, she had no idea her family would grow so quickly. Before finding the Better Housing Coalition, Shanté and her 9-year-old son Darelle were homeless. Adding to the stress of not knowing where they would sleep at night, Shanté was unemployed and without a car. Darelle’s
Finding Meaning by Helping Others
May is Older Americans Month, and a perfect time to shine a light on what aging looks like today in BHC’s senior communities. Forget outdated stereotypes: many of our older residents are holding down jobs, taking charge of their health and getting involved in their communities. Danny Gessey is one example of an active BHC
Why We’re Selling Hoodies
Five years ago this March, we heard the name Trayvon Martin for the first time. When he was shot and killed in a suburb of Sanford, Florida, Trayvon was 17 and unarmed. According to the 9-1-1 recording he was “a suspicious guy” wearing “a dark hoodie.” In other words, Trayvon was singled out because of
An Educator Who Never Tires of Teaching
In 1963, Barbara Nealy (that’s Bar-ba-ra with three syllables, as she’ll tell you) was 17 and the historic March on Washington was about to happen. Her civic-minded mother chartered a bus, and took her and her sister plus some neighbors from their Baltimore neighborhood to D.C. to see Dr. Martin Luther King speak. “It was a