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Back in April 2023, the Prince Edward Board of Supervisors took a vote and decided to set aside some of their ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funding. The idea was to donate $100,000 to STEPS, to help with the creation of a housing project that would serve the needs of homeless residents in the region. However, there was a catch. STEPS was asking all counties in the region to contribute. And so, Prince Edward officials decided their $100,000 wouldn’t be released until a similar donation from Nottoway County was received. 

Two years later, Nottoway County officials followed through with their own promise, donating $75,000 to STEPS. And so the current board of supervisors for Prince Edward County found themselves revisiting a two-year-old promise during their Tuesday, April 8 meeting. Back in 2023, each county and town had been asked to contribute, based on their respective use of STEPS’ services. Prince Edward had used, and continues to use, those services the most, followed by Nottoway County in second place. That was followed by $50,000 promises from each of the counties of Amelia, Buckingham, Cumberland and Lunenburg. 

In a letter dated April 1, STEPS Vice President of Housing Shawn Rozier told county staff that at this point, Nottoway has fulfilled its promise. In fact, “all counties have allocated funds for this project except for Amelia County,” the letter states. “All funds received are being kept in an account reserved for pre-construction and construction costs.” 

As District 6 supervisor David Emert pointed out Tuesday, the money had already long since been allocated by Prince Edward County. And tax dollars weren’t affected, since this came from the federal ARPA funding given to the county. By a unanimous vote, supervisors agreed to release the $100,000 as promised. 

Funding for Israel Hill project 

This money will go towards the still developing Israel Hill project. Back in the fall of 2024, STEPS officially purchased 48.6 acres of land in the Town of Farmville. This property is located just off Layne Street in Farmville, on the west side of town. It’s referred to as Israel Hill because that was where, in 1810, 90 former slaves settled after being granted both their freedom and 350 acres. It was called Israel Hill, according to Moton Museum director Cainan Townsend, because the residents treated it like their promised land.

In his April 1 letter to Prince Edward officials, Shawn Rozier said that work is moving forward on Israel Hill. But before any construction or other visual effort takes place, STEPS has to develop a plan for the property. 

“We are working on a master plan for the entire property, that in addition to the supportive housing units, will contain multiple housing types including single family homes,” Rozier wrote. “We are in the process of partnering with nonprofit developers who have the expertise for these projects. Our plan is for supportive housing units to be included in the first phase of construction, but we have not been able to determine when that phase is estimated to begin.” 

Part of that goal, as it stands, is to build a $24 million ‘supportive housing’ complex on the property. 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. 

STEPS says decades of work ahead 

It’s also a project that STEPS officials have been clear could take decades of work to complete. 

This spring, part of the work will involve applying for low-income housing tax credits, to help cover more of the funding. Corporations provide funding for the project and in return, they get the tax credits. Those investors can claim the credits against their federal taxes, but there is a catch. They can’t use the credits until the project is placed into service. It basically serves as a federal subsidy for developing low-income housing. 

Another part of the work involves doing research on the Israel Hill property itself, to determine the best way to honor the former residents, who have since passed on. 

“An archeological study of Israel Hill is underway and we are partnering with the Moton Museum to reach out to the descendant community to determine the best ways to honor the history there,” Rozier wrote in his letter to the county. “The results of the archaeological study will be shared with them and the community at large if interested.”