New Hope Housing’s Transit-Oriented Development in East End
Photo credit: Mark Hiebert Photography
HOUSTON — (By Dale King, Realty News Report) — New Hope Housing’s newest single room occupancy (SRO) community in Houston is an impressive addition to the city’s affordable housing landscape.
Inside the building, units feature bright white walls, modern fixtures, comfortable furnishings and thoughtful touches. The development includes dedicated spaces such as a library, a community room and on-site social services. An elegant canopy shades a light-filled central courtyard, and outside the building METRORail Green Line trains pass nearby at the Coffee Plant/Second Ward station.
Located at 3315 Harrisburg Blvd. in Houston’s historic East End, the 175-unit Harrisburg opened in February and has already reached about 65% occupancy, according to Joy Horak-Brown, founding president and CEO of New Hope Housing.
This site stands out not only for its location but because it is New Hope’s first residential center to include retail and commercial office space, integrating housing with services and potential employment opportunities.
The project also intersected with recent history. While Harrisburg was under construction, Hurricane Harvey struck Houston with destructive winds and flooding, displacing thousands. The city asked New Hope Housing to assist during the crisis.
“We at New Hope Housing were prepared and fortunate,” said Horak-Brown. “All our buildings were safe and dry. But the city called on us to see if we could help in other areas, and we said ‘yes.’ We formed Harvey Response Management.”
The city reopened a previously shuttered homeless shelter to accommodate people displaced by Harvey. New Hope staff contributed time to refurbish and manage the temporary facility during the emergency response.
When renovations at Harrisburg were complete, the final 35 residents from the temporary shelter moved into the new building in February, and the old facility was returned to the city.
Harrisburg includes 4,000 square feet of street-level retail and about 7,000 square feet of office space on the fourth floor. That office space will soon become home to New Hope’s corporate headquarters, which were temporarily delayed by the organization’s Harvey response efforts.
“We have been highly focused on the residential portion of our work, especially during Harvey,” said New Hope media representative Nicole Cassier-Mason. The corporate move was postponed until June while the organization dealt with recovery operations.
New Hope is working with CBRE to identify tenants for the retail space.
Founded in 1993, New Hope Housing celebrated the opening of Harrisburg during its 25th anniversary year with a ceremony held in the complex’s expansive courtyard. The new community represents an important milestone in the nonprofit’s mission to expand housing options in Houston.
“New Hope Housing’s Harrisburg community is an important step toward meeting our commitment to increasing housing opportunities for Houstonians, especially after Hurricane Harvey,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said at the opening. “As a mixed-use development, it provides direct access to potential employment and other services. It is the type of development we need to further the vision of Houston as one city, where there is hope, inspiration and opportunity for all.”
Harrisburg replaces the Hamilton SRO, New Hope’s first property, which opened in 1995 in the central business district adjacent to Minute Maid Park. At one point, Astros owner Jim Crane purchased the Hamilton property, allowed New Hope to continue operations while Harrisburg was built, and contributed privately to the new project. After Harrisburg opened, the old Hamilton building was demolished and converted to a parking lot serving the nearby ballpark.
Most residents from the downtown Hamilton facility moved into the East End location. Harrisburg is recognized for environmental efficiency: it is New Hope’s fourth building certified by the U.S. Green Building Council under LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).
Designed by GSMA, Inc., each apartment at Harrisburg is a fully furnished efficiency unit with a private bathroom and a kitchenette that includes a microwave and refrigerator. Residents also have access to shared amenities such as a communal kitchen, business center, library and a combined theatre/dining room.
New Hope Housing’s properties provide on-site supportive and recovery services to help residents achieve stability and maintain health. Services include case management, access to primary and mental healthcare, legal assistance, health and nutrition counseling, financial education and life-skills training, and, in some cases, rental assistance.
Since its founding, New Hope Housing has helped approximately 9,500 men and women obtain high-quality, affordable housing combined with supportive services. Residents served include the working poor, people who were formerly homeless, veterans, older adults, those living with chronic illness, individuals with cognitive or physical disabilities, and people recovering from substance abuse.
New Hope serves low-income people and those with physical or mental health challenges; the median age of people seeking services tends to be between 50 and 65.
“We connect people with a range of supportive services that provide the tools to create a stable life filled with hope,” Horak-Brown said. Services offered include GED and literacy classes, Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, support groups for people with PTSD, health screenings, recreational activities such as bingo, and assistance with healthcare needs and job searches.
