Albemarle Housing Improvement Program (AHIP)

The Albemarle Housing Improvement Program (AHIP) is a private, non-profit housing and community development organization dedicated to helping low income families in Albemarle County and City of Charlottesville have the opportunity to live in safe, decent and affordable housing. AHIP pursues its mission by facilitating programs and services, and assisting low income families and individuals acquire and/or maintain a home.

AHIP arose out of a "grass roots" community volunteer effort to meet local housing needs. In 1969 Hurricane Camille caused extensive flooding and devastation in Albemarle and Nelson Counties. In response to this devastation, a local volunteer group, SCRUB, was formed at the University of Virginia to help clean up, and repair damaged houses. As a result, a new awareness of local housing conditions by the individuals involved, and a continued volunteer turnout stimulated a special interest in housing from the community. Out of SCRUB, grew AHIP.

During its twenty-seven years, AHIP has completed over 550 rehabilitation projects, over 1000 emergency repairs, constructed 25 new homes, and assisted hundreds of families purchase their first homes. AHIP has grown from a small, volunteer based, repair program, into an organization dedicated to coordinating programs that address the continuum of low income housing need in Albemarle County.

Group WorkCamps Report Card...A+!

They Came . . . They Worked . . . They Worshiped . . . They Grew . . . And they left an indelible mark on Albemarle County. 320 youth group members worked on 50 homes in one week during July 2002. They worked to scrape and paint homes, repaired porches and decks, painted metal roofs, stripped and re-shingled roofs, built handicap ramps, hung gutters, and more. What the youth probably don't know is what else they repaired . . . The spirit and souls of many residents. AHIP certainly expected the housing repairs, but these kids repaired broken hearts, lonely souls, and diminished spirits as well.

Stories continue to trickle in to our office about the youth. One in particular is from the daughter of a client whose father is an elderly man who was sick, depressed, and downtrodden-basically had given up on life because he felt as though he had nothing else to contribute to society. During the first few days of the camp he engaged very little with the kids, but they persevered. By the end of the week he was participating in their lunch-time devotions and they were all calling him "Gramps". His daughter called a couple weeks after the camp and told me "Gramps" was getting up and working in his garden everyday and required much less medicine for his depression and high blood pressure.

Non-profits get caught up in production reports, board meetings, and raising the dollar. We often overlook the human impact of our work. Group WorkCamps and their youth certainly reminded AHIP of the reason we do what we do.

Contact Info:

2127 Berkmar Drive

Charlottesville, VA 22901

Phone: (434) 817-2447

Fax: (434)-973-3730

Email:

www.ahipva.org