ALIVE House Transitional Housing Renovations Complete In Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Alexandria safety net nonprofit ALIVE's shelter for women underwent a renovation to provide separate housing units for families.

HomeAid National Capital Region, a nonprofit geared toward providing facilities and housing for other nonprofits, finished construction on the renovated house for ALIVE. The 1,200-square-foot home will serve three women and their families. The private units are set aside as transitional housing for up to two years.

"Our shelter now feels like a home rather than an institution," said ALIVE executive director Jennifer Ayers in a statement. "We strive to offer the families that are transitioning from crisis to stability a place where they can feel at home an begin to renew and transform their lives. Spaces created by HomeAid allow people to begin to feel they have agency and privacy over how they live and how they grow into the next part of their lives and ultimately having a place where they can thrive."

ALIVE House dates back to 1972 and is Virginia's oldest continuously running women's shelter. HomeAid and Richmond American renovated the property with help from trade partners. The first floor was renovated to provide an apartment, staff office space, a resident common area, half bath for staff, and storage space. The second and third floors are dedicated apartment units.

The project began in April, and the completion was celebrated with an open house last Thursday. According to HomeAid, the work by the nonprofit and partners helped ALIVE save $107,739 in costs to renovate the home.

Aside from HomeAid and Richmond American, partners that donated time and materials to the project were: Annandale Millwork and Allied Systems Corporation, Aristokraft, Inc., Atlantic Building Supply, Inc., Avantti Construction, Inc., Colorworld Painting & Drywall Services, Inc., Commonwealth Lighting of Virginia, Inc., Crigger Contracting Inc., Franklin Electric Co, Inc., GE Appliances, Gerber Plumbing Fixtures, LLC, Interior Logic Group (ILG), John Darvish Construction Co., Kichler Lighting, LLC, Metro Stone Works, Moen Incorporated, Mohawk Flooring, Northern Virginia Plumbing & Mechanical, Inc., Pro Bond Construction, Inc., The Sherwin-Williams Company, Virginia Cleaning & Punchout, Inc. and William H. Metcalfe & Sons, Inc.