Charlottesville’s first single-room occupancy facility (SRO) is officially under construction. At yesterday’s groundbreaking ceremony, Virginia Supportive Housing, the Richmond nonprofit that owns the site, thanked Mayor Dave Norris for his strong support. The Crossings at Fourth and Preston, will feature 30 units for homeless residents (21 from Charlottesville, nine from Albemarle), and 30 units for those who earn 50 percent or less of the area median income.
"Solving homelessness is not about simply getting people a cot in a church basement," said Norris, a vocal proponent of SRO housing in the city. "It’s about getting people a home."
The 60 furnished studio apartments will be about 360′ square, and will offer a kitchenette, a closet, range oven and bathroom. Norris told the crowd that the first “chatter” about a facility that would help city and county homeless occurred in 2005. 

“Five-and-a-half years later, and it has really been a product of so much blood, sweat and tears, and so much financial investment,” he said.
More after the photo.
Members of City Council, Virginia Supportive Housing and community partners break ground for the SRO facility on the corner of Fourth Street and Preston Avenue.
The Crossings will cost $7 million, with roughly $1.07 million already appropriated from the Charlottesville Housing Fund. The project has also received private donations and a $75,000 grant from the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation.
“Some people say this is a lot of money to be spending on one project,” said Norris. But, he added, the UVA Hospital invests about $11,000 for each chronic homeless individual it treats.
“It costs a lot of money to keep people homeless,” he said. “But it’s not just about dollars and cents, it’s not just about bricks and mortar, it’s about transforming lives and it’s about giving people a warm and a safe place.”
The facility will be complete and ready in about one year.