Vera French Housing Corporation

Vera French Supported Rental Program embraces a vision of persons with long term mental illness succeeding in a community living situation. Having affordable and safe housing are important treatment issues for persons with mental illness. The Vera French Housing Corporation (VFHC) is a community based 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. Its mission is to provide affordable housing options linked with supportive services. Supportive housing enables persons with psychiatric disabilities to select acquire and maintain housing that is linked to a variety of ongoing individualized support services. VFHC has a goal to develop an additional 120 units of affordable housing. The primary object of the program is to help persons with long term mental illness live independently in the community. Vera French Housing Corporation has experienced rapid growth. Its first project was a HUD grant funded Master Lease Program for 14 units starting Spring of 1995. The Housing Corporation?s first acquisition project was the purchase of six scattered site duplexes in the summer of 1996. Yearly acquisitions continued with the purchase of an 8-plex 9-plex and 12-plex apartment building with a large single family home. A second HUD grant has since provided 20 additional Master Lease units. Vera French Housing Corporation began new construction projects in 2000 with a HUD 811 financed 10-unit building Vera French Commons located on East 37th Street in Davenport. In May of 2001 the Waverly Road house was built near Pine Knoll. This house provided shared living for three ladies leaving Pine Knoll. Vera French Manor a 10-unit Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Project followed in March 2003. Another 10-unit LIHTC Project Vera French Terrace was placed in service in May of 2005. Today the Housing Corporation owns 79 units and lease or manages another 26 for a total of 105. Vera French Housing through multiple funding sources has acquired land and has applied for Low Income Housing Tax Credits to develop Vera French Court a new construction project which will create 13 units of additional independent living opportunities for persons with persistent mental illness.

The mission of Vera French Housing Corporation is to provide and maintain housing options for persons with persistent mental illness using support services from Vera French Community Mental Health Center.