THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, December 5, 1995 TAG: 9512050324
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KAREN JOLLY DAVIS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BIRDSNEST LENGTH: Short : 43 lines
Smiling officials stabbed six gold-painted shovels into the dirt on Monday, breaking ground for Northampton County's first shelter for the homeless.
The project will transform the broken-down Candlelight Motel and Restaurant on Route 13 into transitional housing for 15 homeless women and their children.
``The first thing that goes is the sign,'' said Leona Mapp, housing coordinator with Virginia's Eastern Shore Economic Empowerment and Housing Corp.
The housing corporation won a $1.5 million grant in January from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to renovate the building, operate transition housing programs for three years, and to build a new office for the corporation's staff.
The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development contributed $277,000. Farmers and Merchants Bank, which owned the Candlelight, donated 15 motel units as living space. The bank sold the restaurant and the land to the housing corporation.
``I'm delighted not to own this place anymore,'' joked Gene Crockett, Farmers and Merchants executive vice president, at the ground-breaking ceremony. He said the bank couldn't sell the Candlelight, and could ``hardly give it away.
``It's exciting to see this project finally get off the ground,'' said Crockett.
Since being awarded the grant, the housing corporation has completed environmental studies of tat the end of the ceremony. She said a friend had called Friday afternoon, saying there was a young girl in her office with no money and no food.
``I think that pretty well describes why we need to make this happen,'' said Mapp. by CNB