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They agreed to the request, but it wasn’t a unanimous decision. By majority vote, Cumberland supervisors voted to give STEPS $25,000 to help fund the planned Israel Hill housing project in Farmville. 

The vote was 4-1, with District 1 Supervisor Bryan Hamlet in opposition. Hamlet questioned how the board, and county overall, can say it’s struggling to pay bills one month and then turn around and donate soon after. 

“We cry that we need funding, that we need revenue,” Hamlet said. “And yet, we spend money on things outside of this county. I’m foremost concerned about the folks (here) that work. They’re never going to see their taxes go down, (taxes) that we admit are too high.” 

He argued that $25,000 could have been used for requests in Cumberland or kept for future budget requests. 

Chairman John Newman, who represents District 2, pointed out this funding request had been brought up at the Sept. 4 work session. 

“And this is our board meeting, with the public in attendance,” Hamlet said. “If I’m going to vote to spend their money, I’m going to let them know why I am or why I’m not.” 

As for the funding, it will be spread out over a four year period. That translates into $6,250 per year that Cumberland will give to the Israel Hill project. Hamlet asked if this would be a one-time request, or if STEPS planned to come back for more once that four year period ended. 

“This funding is specific to actually building, acquiring the property (and) handling all the construction costs,” Cumberland County Administrator Derek Stamey said. “It’s my understanding that this is a one-time ask.” 

Stamey said Prince Edward has already agreed to donate $100,000 for the project and Nottoway County has added $75,000. 

What is the Israel Hill project?

The project Cumberland is helping to fund is a “supportive housing” apartment complex, planned for a 48-acre site just off Layne Street in Farmville. Supportive housing is designed as affordable housing to help get homeless individuals and families off the streets. But it’s a bit more than that. The concept also offers services to help homeless residents get back on their feet. We’re talking about case management, working with individuals to help them deal with things like appointment scheduling and planning ahead for rent payments. It also involves job and life skills training, so that residents understand things like time management, cooking and budgeting.

Under the plan, STEPS would buy the property. Then its partner, Virginia Supportive Housing (VSH) would build and manage the apartments. According to the information provided to Cumberland supervisors on Sept. 11, this would be a 60-unit apartment complex, dedicated to helping people in Amelia, Buckingham, Lunenburg, Nottoway and Prince Edward counties. As part of the deal, supervisors were told there would be six rooms allocated specifically for residents of the smaller counties contributing, like Cumberland. 

This project is still very much in the planning phase, as STEPS hasn’t actually purchased the property yet. There are also no designs or schematics to present to the planning commission or discuss. 

Happy to help

Cumberland Vice Chair Eurika Tyree, who represents District 3, said she was happy to help STEPS by giving $25,000 toward the project. The reason, she added, is that nobody knows when they may need help from such an organization. 

“When we agree to donate to an organization, it’s for a good cause,” Tyree said, adding that it’s just other people’s money being spent. As supervisors are all residents of Cumberland, it’s their tax dollars being spent as well. 

“We never know if we’re going to be in a position where we need STEPS,” Tyree said. “STEPS has helped a lot of people here in Cumberland County and we need to support them because we never know when it’s going to be us or someone we know who will need STEPS. That’s why I agreed to give them what they ask for.”