For Immediate Release 
May 21, 2018

WOODBRIDGE, Va. – Six formerly homeless families have a refurbished apartment home – thanks to Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington (CCDA), HomeAid Northern Virginia, and home builder Toll Brothers and its trade partners.  They just completed a $126,000 renovation on 12 individual apartmentsand a children’s activity center at Catholic Charities’ St. Margaret of Cortona Transitional Residences in Woodbridge. 

HomeAid Northern Virginia, a non-profit that builds and renovates supportive housing and shelter facilities teamed CCDA with Toll Brothers. CCDA contributed $20K toward builder costs and provided hotel accommodations for residents until the renovations were complete, while still providing case management and counseling services. HomeAid Northern Virginia, Toll Brothers and their construction trade partners covered $100K of the renovation costs as well as onsite storage for the residents’ furniture during the renovation. 

Of the 12 refurbished apartments, six are occupied by families –mostly mothers with young children. The remaining six vacant apartments will soon house more families exiting homeless shelters. Those units have new furniture and décor donated by Staged Interior. 

The renovations took three months to complete. Improvements included updated bathrooms, drywall repair, new flooring, and upgraded kitchens with granite countertops. 

Veronica Roth, program director for Catholic Charities’ St. Margaret of Cortona Transitional Residences says the families are thrilled about the renovations. “The apartments look so fresh and new now, and for working moms, it also makes house-keeping easier. The laminate flooring is such an improvement over the old commercial carpeting and the new cabinets and counters are spacious,” she said.  Roth says one family has a disabled child in a wheelchair, and she just can’t say enough about the new floors – making it easier to get her child around.