Flagler Home Transitions to Rapid Re-Housing ... - St. Josephs Villa

For Immediate Release:
May 28, 2013
Contact:
Drew Melson
Director of Marketing Communications
Office: 804-553-3318 Mobile: 804-267-9569
Email: dmelson@sjvmail.net
Flagler Home at St. Joseph’s Villa
Transitions to Rapid Re-housing Model
Rapid re-housing projected to triple number of homeless families served
Richmond, VA – Beginning July 1, 2013, Flagler Home at St. Joseph’s Villa will complete the transition
from a shelter for homeless mothers and their children to a rapid re-housing program serving homeless
families of all compositions.
Rapid re-housing promptly places homeless individuals and families back in permanent rental housing
with integrated support services. Such services include: case management; linking families to community
resources; budgeting assistance; and education around tenant responsibilities. According to the National
Alliance to End Homelessness, rapid re-housing reduces the length of time people remain in homeless
shelters in addition to associated public and personal costs.
“In recent years we have extended our programs beyond the Villa campus to serve more people and
achieve better results,” said Kathleen Burke Barrett, CEO of St. Joseph’s Villa. “Flagler’s transition to
rapid re-housing aligns with our commitment to adopting best practice services to meet growing
community needs.”
Flagler Housing and Homeless Services has helped more than 1,700 families in the Greater Richmond
and Tri-Cities regions obtain and maintain stable housing since 1989. Flagler began rapid re-housing in
2010 as part of a pilot program with Homeward and experienced notable success. Since 2010, 97% of
homeless Richmond families rapidly re-housed by Flagler have remained in their homes. Petersburg
families met with a 92% success rate.
Rapid re-housing sees high success rates because it solves a homeless family’s most urgent and basic
need first: housing stability. After housing is obtained, case workers can more easily address the factors
that led to the family’s homelessness.
Kelly King Horne, Executive Director of Homeward, said, “St. Joseph’s Villa has a long history of helping
to end homelessness for our neighbors. Their commitment to the children and families they serve is
evident even as they transform how they serve these families. For such an established organization to
recognize the benefits of rapid re-housing and put it into practice will encourage and inspire others
working to end homelessness in our region.”
While the Villa will discontinue residential programs for homeless families, Louise Foster, daughter of
Flagler Home co-founders Janet and Lawrence Lewis, believes that its new community-based approach
remains faithful to her parents’ original vision:
“I am delighted to see Flagler Housing and Homeless Services evolve and expand to serve more families
who are breaking the cycle of homelessness,” said Foster. “My parents always dreamed of helping those

less fortunate when they founded Flagler Home at St. Joseph’s Villa. I am so proud that the Villa is
keeping their dream alive by continuing to innovate.”
Families currently living in Flagler Home will be re-housed by July 1or will be referred to other agencies
and shelters based on individual needs.
Implementing rapid re-housing will enable Flagler to triple the number of families served each year.
Flagler expects to serve 300 homeless families–approximately 800 individuals–in 2013 alone.
“If families want or need more services and support, we’re here for them,” said Kimberly Tucker,
Director of Housing and Homeless Services at St. Joseph’s Villa. “Rapid re-housing works because it
secures stable housing for families while preserving their sense of dignity and self-determination.”
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St. Joseph's Villa
Established as an orphanage and school in 1834, St. Joseph’s Villa is one of the longest continuously
operating children’s nonprofit organizations in the U.S. Today, St. Joseph’s Villa is a non-sectarian
501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving more than 2,000 children and families each year. The Villa’s day
and residential programs include: special and nontraditional education; education/housing services for
homeless children and their families; respite, summer and after-school care for children with disabilities;
stabilization services for children in crisis; and housing for adults with disabilities.
St. Joseph's Villa admits clients of any race, color, gender, age, religion, disability or national origin to all
the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to clients at St.
Joseph's Villa. St. Joseph's Villa does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, age, disability,
religion or national origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship
and loan programs and athletic and other agency-administered programs.