Volunteers of America of Florida broke ground November 5 with a new affordable project on 5th Avenue South. The project will bring 50 new affordable mixed-use housing units to the market and is aimed at low-income earners.
“After the pandemic, affordable housing became even more complicated to build because of inflation and the cost, higher construction costs,” said Janet Stringfellow, president and CEO of Volunteers of America of Florida. “But we were able to master these challenges thanks to our community partners.” Stringfellow says there are currently 2,400 people in St. Petersburg who need an apartment without calling home. And the problem keeps getting worse. As the development of affordable housing projects is becoming more and more expensive, wages are stagnating and housing and rental prices rise by 20-30%, the demand is growing faster than affordable housing can become available.
To learn more: Groundbreaking on 50 Affordable Homes in St. Pete
source: SPID Nov/Dec Newsletter
Over the last few months I have used this space in the newsletter to create a picture of what it takes to foster innovation. November 2023 newsletter: Innovation is a team sport. It requires diverse perspectives and experiences to find a creative solutions. It requires courage to try things out and be willing to learn what won’t work as much as what will work. It requires tenacity to keep going and going and going.
Thank you to Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital (JHACH) for sponsoring and hosting our inaugural Morning Sparks: Innovation X-change breakfast. The event was kicked off by Alicia Schulhof, President of JHACH, and followed by an overview of the topic - Artificial Intelligence - by Dr. John Licato of USF's Advanced Machine and Human Reasoning Lab.
Kudos to the Volunteers of America Florida, City of St. Petersburg, and Pinellas County for the recent opening of the new downtown apartments, located in the Innovation District called Innovare. Innovare’s 50 apartments provide stable homes for individuals and families who earn 60 percent or less of the Area’s Median Income (AMI), including many who are transitioning from homelessness.