SPHA Partners with Catholic Charities on Pinellas Hope II

ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – On the morning of February 24, representatives from the national Interagency Council on Homelessness, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and local government and social services agencies, including the St. Petersburg Housing Authority (SPHA), met at Pinellas Hope in Clearwater as part of the Partners Forum to discuss local homelessness issues.

“We are proud to be community partners in the fight against homelessness and remain committed to finding more affordable housing options in the city of St. Petersburg to help keep people off of the streets. Our specific focus is to help homeless veterans, whenever possible, as it is unconscionable that anyone who has honorably served our country should be without a roof over their head,” said SPHA Chief Executive Officer Darrell Irions.

Pinellas Hope is a site operated by Catholic Charities for homeless people that offers tents for shelter, social services and job help. Currently under construction on the same site, Pinellas Hope II is an 80-unit housing project, built in partnership with General Home Development and PDC Affordable Housing. Plans also call for a community center and a medical unit to be built alongside the tents.

Committed to the making housing available to those in need, SPHA is assisting in the funding of Pinellas Hope II. SPHA will provide project-based vouchers to qualified applicants for 40 of the housing units. These vouchers are equivalent to approximately $280,000 per year of on-going funding. Each unit will be an efficiency apartment, and 100% of the units will be handicapped accessible. Pinellas Hope II will open later this year.

“By providing the funding for these vouchers, SPHA is able to give much needed support to Pinellas Hope and those that they serve in a very meaningful and sustainable way,” said Dr. Arnett Smith, SPHA board chairman.

SPHA’s vouchers are made possible through HUD’s Project-Based Voucher program. The goal of the HUD program is to expand the availability of higher quality affordable housing units to the elderly, disabled individuals and homeless military veterans.

Under the rental assistance program, housing authorities may choose to provide subsidy to selected privately-owned properties through the Request for Proposals (RFP) process. SPHA’s contract with Catholic Charities for Pinellas Hope II is a direct result of a RFP issued by the housing authority in June 2008 to find interested developers and property owners.

About St. Petersburg Housing Authority (SPHA):

The St. Petersburg Housing Authority (SPHA) is a public body corporate that has a 70‐year history of developing and administering affordable housing programs in the city of St. Petersburg. Consistently scored as a “High Performer” on U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) assessments, SPHA provides housing assistance to more than 3,400 families residing in St. Petersburg. The authority has received national awards and recognition for its innovative programs, including the Economies of Scale program, the Jordan Park HOPE VI redevelopment program, the
Section 3 program and the Fraud Recovery program. More information about the authority’s programs and services can be found at www.stpeteha.org.