After 35 years of helping thousands of individuals and families find safe and stable housing, St. Joseph’s Villa opened its new Flagler Housing Success Center on November 14 – a 10,000-square-foot facility designed to serve as a regional hub for innovative housing solutions and mental and behavioral health supports.
This initiative relocates the Flagler Housing & Homeless Services Richmond office from Willow Lawn back to the Villa’s 82-acre campus in Henrico. The move creates a unified and highly efficient system of care where clients can connect to a full range of services in one location accessible by public transit.
“Homelessness is a complex regional challenge, and our response must be multifaceted to be effective,” said St. Joseph’s Villa CEO, Jenny Friar. “It takes all of us – peer agencies, community resources, local government, landlords, and volunteers – working together to create sustainable solutions. The Flagler Housing Success Center will serve as a nexus of these partnerships. When a client walks through our doors, we want them to feel welcome and hopeful as we help them move from crisis to connection and support.”
The $3.5 million project marks the first full-scale renovation of a historic 1931 Villa cottage, one of eight that formerly served as dormitories. Funding came from individual, foundation, and corporate donors, with state historic tax credits helping to offset costs.
KEY FEATURES OF THE FLAGLER HOUSING SUCCESS CENTER
The Flagler Housing Success Center is purpose-built to support housing stability, independence, and lasting client success.
“We are providing more than just resources. We are restoring hope and giving participants a stable environment where they can confidently build their own roadmap to long-term independence,” said Katie Chlan, Senior Director of Housing & Homeless Services.
Kitchen & Food PantryIn addition to facilitating collaboration among community-based staff, clinicians, case managers and housing navigators, the facility will feature:
- Bob and Anna Lou Schaberg Community Room: Offers large meeting spaces for partner work groups and trainings in tenancy, parenting, budgeting, interviewing, and
more. The space also features a dedicated Kids Corner so families can fully engage without childcare concerns. - Atlantic Union Bank Work Center: Provides space for job readiness training, access to technology, and interactive financial education through Atlantic Union Bank’s Banzai platform, covering budgeting, credit building, debt management, and financial planning.
- Educational Kitchen: Hosts community meals and teaches practical culinary and life skills, including cooking for children with allergies and managing chronic illness through nutrition.
- Welcome Home Room: Supports clients with household essentials, personal care items, cleaning supplies, and other necessities to help them successfully transition into stable housing.
- Giving Foundation Office: Expands the Villa’s partnership with The Giving Wall, which has mobilized community donors to meet urgent client needs since 2020. Their presence on campus will create new opportunities to collaborate.
Welcome Home RoomADDRESSING THE GROWING CHALLENGE OF HOMELESSNESS
Homelessness in Greater Richmond continues to rise. The Point-In-Time Count conducted by Homeward on July 24, 2025, identified 680 individuals experiencing homelessness, up from 585 in 2024 and 486 in 2023. Last year, the Greater Richmond Continuum of Care agencies and partners served 8,939 people experiencing a housing crisis.
The Flagler Housing Success Center directly addresses this growing need by providing a centralized, trauma-informed space where clients can access housing assistance, mental health support, job readiness training, life skills education, and essential resources. By integrating these services, the Center helps prevent housing crises before they escalate, promotes multi-generational stability, and equips clients with tools to thrive.
The referral process to receive services remains the same. Individuals must first contact the Greater Richmond Continuum of Care’s Homeless Connection Line at 804-972-0813.
PROJECT PARTNERS
This project was made possible through generous volunteer leadership and mission-minded partners, including Rebkee, ADO Architecture, Cross Creek Builders, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, Baskervill, and Creative.
Front ExteriorIN THE NEWS
- Richmond Times-Dispatch: St. Joseph’s Villa’s $3.5M renovation for homeless center
- Richmond BizSense: St. Joseph’s Villa opens $3.5M ‘housing success’ center on Henrico campus
- Virginia Public Media: St. Joseph’s Villa opens rapid rehousing center in Henrico County
- WRIC 8News: Henrico’s new $3.5 million ‘Success Center’ offers support to those experiencing homelessness
- Henrico County: Flagler Housing Success Center Grand Opening – November 14, 2025
