Try to find the words to describe Steve Uzelac and what he has meant to the Hope Family Village and NAMI Williamsburg communities. Not to mention me. You can’t. Save one. Iconic. I have known Steve for 8 years. We met after a NAMI Williamsburg Support Group Meeting at St. Stephens Lutheran Church. We were…
We competed our first year of the 501(c)3 Nonprofit Public Charity, Hope Family Village. Our accomplishments have been stunning! Number 1. Hope Family Village was named in the Governor’s Budget for the development of a community for 25 caregiving families and their loved ones living with a mental illness. Since June, we have…
When others are running from a problem, we are embracing it. Turning difficulty upside down into opportunity. We see what others might not. We take one small thing, a family dinner, demonstrate it, and show how it leads to another small thing. Eventually, you wind up with a neighborhood. A family of acceptance and respect.…
Let us show you something. Yeah, it’s a preliminary, draft conceptual design for one prospective location at Eastern State. We shared it with James City County Planning and Social Service last Friday. The board has engaged award-winning community architect Laura Fitch at the toughest stage. The starting blocks. And, on a very quick turn around,…
Our Board member, Lisa Thomas, had the great opportunity to attend the Northeast Co-Housing Summit last month in Amherst, MA where she attended workshops about designing and running an intentional housing community. She also met with others living in existing co-housing communities or getting ready to launch their own. The highlight of her experience was…
From April until the present has been nonstop for Hope Family Village. On April 19 – 23, this villager was in Boulder, CO for the Western Region Cohousing Conference. I met many startup communities like ours; learned from cohousing architects and developers; and visited four different communities in the area. We were there to find…
Welcome everyone. At Hope Family Village we are all about the dining. Why? Connectivity. Our next dinner is Thursday, April 12th @ 6:30 PM at Jimmy’s in Norge, VA. In developing not only our organization, the physical village, the social architecture, we know how important being on the same page really is. We share a…
Pictured is the future of Hope Family Village. Maybe these graduating MBA and undergraduate students will do other things with their lives, but on Saturday they adeptly moved Hope Family Village forward by staging a grand event. Graciously hosted at the home of Phi Gamma Delta, the Fiji House, brought together – by the current…
We are excited to announce a new relationship with the William and Mary Law School, Business Clinic. This action serves to continue and expand our relationship with the College of W&M to develop Hope Family Village. As we progress, we see the College as a vital partner. As noted elsewhere on this blog, Hope Family…
Last week, Senator Norment introduced an amendment to the Governor’s budget (SB 30) that sets aside Parcel C (79 acres) at Eastern State for Hope Family Village Corporation. Specifically, the amendment states: “R. The Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services in conjunction with the Department of General Services shall lease, for one dollar, Parcel C…