PREFERRED VENDOR/PARTNER n Southside Community Development & Housing Corporation www.scdhc.com SCDHC is a nonprofit organization with offices in Richmond, Petersburg, and Emporia, Virginia. We build affordable, high-quality homes, provide first-time homebuyer programs, and help families achieve financial success. Call us today to see how we can help you reach your homeownership dreams! We can help you build your future! Beck focuses on retaining young families through expanded homeownership opportunities. “I believe it’s a vital time to have our younger community want to stay here,” she emphasizes. “I want to make sure they understand what we’re trying to put into the community to ensure they can raise their children here. With the help of Southside, I think we’re on the right path.” Healthcare expansion represents another key priority. Bon Secours hospital seeks to add specialist services, but physician recruitment requires housing options. “We want to make sure they’re looking to expand their specialties,” Johnson explains.“Providing more homeownership and improved rental opportunities will hopefully help them achieve that with more specialists coming to our community.” The city aims to capture workers who currently commute from surrounding areas. “We have school teachers, Greensville County Public Schools, Southside Regional Jail, Greensville Correctional Center, which is about a 15-minute ride from here,” Johnson notes.“A lot of those individuals live outside of Southside. We want those individuals to live here.” Emporia’s story exemplifies small-city resilience in modern America. While industrial closures test its economic foundation, the community responds with infrastructure investment, cultural programming, and strategic development. The next 18 months will determine whether this Virginia crossroads can transform from a place people pass through into a destination they choose to call home. 10 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 07
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