First Lady Suzanne S. Youngkin names first Spirit of Virginia Award for 2023

Governor Youngkin and First Lady Suzanne S. Youngkin presented a 2023 Spirit of Virginia Award to Southside Community Development and Housing Corporation, a metro area community development corporation focused on cultivating housing and financial self-sufficiency for primarily Black, Hispanic, and Latino and women-led households.

First Lady Suzanne S. Youngkin gives remarks. Photo by Shealah Craighead Photography.

“For more than 30 years, Southside Community Development and Housing Corporation have helped countless Richmonders prepare for and achieve home ownership. If ‘home is where the heart is,’ then Glenn and I laud the hearts that are forever changed by the good works of SCDHC,” said First Lady Suzanne S. Youngkin.

“SCDHC appreciates the honor of being a recipient of the Spirit of Virginia Award. We are elated that the arduous work we do to ensure the equity in housing for people of color is recognized by the First Lady of Virginia,” said Southside Community Development and Housing Corporation President & CEO Dianna Bowser.

Southside Community Development and Housing Corporation is Central Virginia’s oldest, historically Black-led community development corporation. Their mission is to build viable, thriving, sustainable communities through affordable housing and wrap-around support services.

Southside Community Development and Housing Corporation have built homes in over a dozen neighborhoods and developments throughout the Richmond area, totaling over 750 units of affordable housing, with 450 as single-family affordable homes. In 2022, the organization served nearly 800 clients through its housing counseling and educational services, including foreclosure prevention, rent relief, and workforce development tools.

The Spirit of Virginia Award recognizes unique qualities and standout achievements across the Commonwealth and salutes Virginians for their uncommon contributions to private industries, education, culture, the arts, and philanthropy.

Governor Youngkin and the First Lady will name five more Spirit of Virginia Award recipients in 2023. Learn more about the award here. To learn more about Southside Community Development and Housing Corporation, visit the organization’s website. All recipients of the Spirit of Virginia Award are recognized during a holiday reception at the end of the year at The Virginia Executive Mansion.

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