4415 Perry, Houston, TX

On September 25, 2012, New Hope Housing Inc. celebrated the ribbon cutting ceremony of its sixth single room occupancy (SRO) community. An apartment complex consisting of 160 units of affordable, supportive housing, 4415 Perry is located inside the 610 loop, south of the University of Houston in the Old Spanish Trail South Union neighborhood.

Attendees included new residents; New Hope Executive Director, Joy Horak-Brown; Houston's Mayor Anise Parker; Wanda Adam, Council Member of District D; Neal Rackleff, Housing and Community Director of the City; Dr. Edward L. Pringle, Director Houston Field Office Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD); Sandra H. Warren, Director HUD Office of Community Planning and Development (CPD); and locally elected officials, lenders and community leaders.

Over $74 million in project funding consisted of a public/private partnership that leveraged tax credit investments with funds from the city of Houston and private foundations, corporations, churches, and individual donors. Three million dollars of federal funds from the Home Investment Partnernships (HOME) program was allocated from the City for the construction of the project.

Ribbon cutting ceremony attendees

The property is a LEED certified, energy efficient, green building. Rents range from $435 to $465 per month, including utilities, for the fully furnished efficiency units that are between 240 and 440 square feet in size. The apartments provide a stable environment for individuals by providing supportive homeless services, as needed, at no cost to the residents.

Ending homelessness is an attainable goal, which is a process accomplished one step at a time. The opening of 4415 Perry is another step toward ending homelessness in the community and makes a difference in the lives of those they serve, one resident at a time.

HUD staff had the opportunity to meet four of the facility's new residents--ladies in transition from the Star of Hope, a faith-based homeless living facility, which is a recipient of supportive housing grants from HUD. CPD Director, Sandra H. Warren, spoke with the ladies and listened attentively as they expressed their appreciation for the Star of Hope services helping them to make the transition from homelessness to permanent housing and allowing them the opportunity to be among the first residents. 4415 Perry represents yet another step toward ending homelessness by enhancing communities and stabilizing lives.

Ribbon cutting attendees enjoy the ceremony

(l to r) Pirooz Farhoomand, Division Manager/Compliance and Monitoring, City of Houston; Sandra Warren, CPD Director for Houston; Wanda Adams, Council Member District D; and, Dr. Edward Pringle, Houston HUD Field Office Director