This week local officials broke ground on a new 153 unit affordable housing community for senior citizens. The ceremony took place at the Pinellas County Housing Authority site at 11479 Ulmerton Road in Largo. Pinellas Heights is a mixed-finance redevelopment of the former Greenhouse Shoppes commercial strip center. The former strip center was largely vacant […]
Category: Press Release
PCHA Dedicates Norton Apartments to the Community and the Citizens of Pinellas County
On Wednesday May 23, 2012 community leaders, residents and Pinellas County Housing Authority’s Commissioners and staff celebrated the dedication of Norton Apartments, now named “Norton Apartments at Lake Bellevue”, to the community and the citizens of Pinellas County. The property is located at 1450 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Clearwater, FL.
PCHA acquired Norton Apartments in 2011 at a time when the property was in bankruptcy and in a severe state of disrepair. The property had suffered from years of neglect and deferred maintenance. “Norton residents were living in very substandard and dangerous conditions” said Debra Johnson, PCHA’s Executive Director. With the help of many community partners, including residents, PCHA acquired Norton and immediately began improvements and property renovations, tackling the most critical and dangerous living conditions first. With new on-site property management, maintenance and lease enforcement coupled with a commitment from the Clearwater Police Department, the crime rate dropped substantially. In addition, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has executed a new 20-year committment for rent subsidy.
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Planning for Pinellas Heights Senior Apartments – Moving Forward
The Pinellas County Housing Authority plans to break ground on a new 153 unit apartment community for seniors this summer. Pinellas Heights will be a mixed-finance redevelopment of PCHA’s Greenhouse Shoppes site located in Largo, FL. Norstar Development USA, LLP is the developer for the project.
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Pinellas County Housing Authority Implements HUD-VASH Express
Eighteen homeless veterans are a step closer to having a home of their own thanks to the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program and the Pinellas County Housing Authority (PCHA). PCHA implemented the first of several HUD-VASH Express Rapid Housing Program briefings for a group of homeless veterans referred by the Bay Pines Medical Center.
We developed our HUD VASH Express Rapid Housing Program to help our VASH eligible, homeless veterans find permanent homes and get back on their feet quicker” said Debra Johnson, PCHA’s Executive Director. The model embraces the “Housing First” idea that vulnerable and at-risk homeless individuals and families are more responsive to interventions and social services support after they are in their own housing, rather than while living in temporary/transitional facilities or housing programs. With permanent housing, these veterans can begin to regain the self-confidence and control over their lives they lost when they became homeless.
Norton Apartments – It Took A Village and Well Worth the Effort
Norton Apartments was recently featured in The Housing News Network: It Took A Village and Well Worth the Effort by Christine Allamanno