Charity wins grant to build in New Port Richey

NEW PORT RICHEY -- A planned affordable housing development in New Port Richey has picked up a $5 million grant from the Florida Housing Finance Corp.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul South Pinellas Inc. is planning a 30-unit complex on Massachusetts Avenue called Ozanam Village, geared toward disabled military veterans and their families, as well as the homeless. Units will be one or two bedrooms, and designed with what the charity says are green and energy-efficient features.

“Projects like this are at the core of ending homelessness,” says Michael Raposa, chief executive officer of St. Vincent de Paul, in a release. “Affordable housing is the only solution.”

The group says that special consideration was given to developments that target specific groups or areas such as rural development, the elderly, urban areas, homeless people and farmworkers.

The village is named after Frederick Ozanam, the founder of St. Vincent de Paul, who visited the poor in their homes, taking them food and clothing.

Construction on the community is set to begin in early 2016.