April 22, 2024 – The price of a stable home impacts the daily lives of real people, from teachers being priced out of the neighborhood near their school to workers who end up without a home after an unexpected job loss. Back-to-back events next week will highlight stories of hope for local people, as Pinellas County and the City of St. Petersburg celebrate a groundbreaking and grand opening for a total of 110 new affordable homes.
The first event will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 23, at the future site of Bayou Court, where 60 affordable and workforce apartment homes will be built next door to Lakewood Elementary School. The site address is 4201 6th St. S., St. Petersburg. Developer Gravel Road Partners will first offer opportunities to local school and city employees to rent the affordable homes, once completed, to individuals and families who earn between 50 and 120 percent of the Area’s Median Income.
The second event will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 26, at the site of the city’s newest affordable apartments, Innovare, located in downtown St. Petersburg’s Innovation District at 850 5th Ave. S., St Petersburg. Innovare is already fully leased with more than 50 individuals and families, many of whom faced homelessness or long-term financial hardship before finding a quality, stable home here. The complex also doubles as the new headquarters for Volunteers of America Florida, which developed Innovare as part of its mission to help struggling people get back on their feet through personal healing and stable housing.
Both projects have received financial support from County and City as part of their shared commitment to creating homes everyone can afford through the Advantage Pinellas Countywide Housing Compact. The countywide partnership has helped thousands of individuals and families find a quality home they can afford since 2018. Local governments in the compact work together to promote consistent policies and programs and support projects that create more housing choices.
