By Tashi McQueen
AFRO Staff Writer
tmcqueen@afro.com
Volunteers of America, a nonprofit human services organization, unveiled 71-units of newly renovated, affordable housing for the city’s most vulnerable in Southwest Baltimore on Aug. 4.
As Baltimore’s public housing waitlist grew to about 40,000 households in 2024, affordable housing remains a top concern in Baltimore City.
“It takes so many people to make a project like this happen,” said Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott (D). “But, the amount of people that were involved in this project will still be small in comparison to all of the impacts and benefits that individuals and their families and this community will see in the years to come.”
“The best way to fuel Baltimore’s rise is to make sure every one of our residents is doing the same thing, rising to be the best version of themselves,” Mayor Scott continued.
The renovated apartments are expected to benefit 130 Baltimoreans in Irvington, a predominantly Black neighborhood. They will primarily serve veterans, individuals who were formerly homeless and persons with mental health needs.
Thirty-six of the 71 units at The Residences at Irvington Woods have been filled, according to Volunteers of America, which has provided permanent supportive and permanent housing in Baltimore since 1996.
“We’ve had this property since 1996,” said Darrin Mitchell, vice president of Maryland for Volunteers of America Chesapeake and Carolinas. “Quickly after taking it over in 1996 we did a rehab. Then, we had a much larger rehab in 2005. Now, to get this rehab done, we started working in 2022 to get funding and all of our partners together.”
Mitchell said it took 14 months to complete the $24 million renovation of The Residences at Irvington Woods.
“I appreciate everything they have done for this community,” said Mary Johnson, a resident of The Residence at Irvington Woods since 2005.
Johnson shared her first reaction to her newly renovated apartment.
“When I walked through, I thought I was in a whole different project,” she said. “I didn’t know If I lived there or not. They did a really good job.”
Several city leaders and legislators recognized Dorothy Cunningham, president of the Irvington Community Association for more than 20 years, for her work in the community over the years.
“I’m very proud to be a part of this,” said Cunningham. “It’s helping Irvington move forward. I’ve worked hard to address the abandoned housing in our community, and I’m proud to live here.”
Cunningham said she remains confident that initiatives like this will continue despite concerns around recent federal reductions in local housing assistance programs.
“With support of the mayor and the city council I believe to move forward in housing initiatives like this, even with what’s happening on a federal level,” said Cunningham. “All of them were closely together to help improve the community.”
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