With the need for affordable housing growing and public dollars to build or improve not meeting demand, private partners and longtime stakeholders find their way to the planning table. What results is better housing, new friendships and possibly, a blueprint for other cities.

Dave Matthews Band will perform at John Paul Jones Arena on November 10 - 11, 2023. A portion of proceeds from the shows will benefit the band’s ongoing commitment to the resident-led redevelopment of Charlottesville’s public housing. This contribution is in addition to the five million dollars that Bama Works, Dave Matthews Band and Red Light Management have already committed to the project.

We are excited to announce that new playgrounds, basketball goals, and other site amenities have been, or are in the process of being, installed at Riverside Ave, Michie Drive, and Madison Ave.

Joy Amarylis Johnson is the Founder and Chair of the Board of Directors for the Public Housing Association of Residents (PHAR) in Charlottesville, VA.  PHAR was established in 1998 as a citywide residents’ association for public housing and section 8 residents.  She is employed as a Section 3 Coordinator for the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority (CRHA).  A native of Kingston, Jamaica, Joy became an American citizen in 2000, and is a Public Housing Resident.

Resident Led Planning of a new Westhaven Community began in September with weekly meetings. The group of 23 Resident Planners, with the assistance of an architecture class at UVA and other community members, is moving through a 7-module curriculum designed to give residents a solid foundation in all aspects of the redevelopment process including design, zoning, financing, history, and more.

Contribution to the Affordable Housing Opportunity Fund Will Help Revitalize and Rebuild Affordable Homes Across Seven Sites Owned by the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority.

Joy Johnson founded the Public Housing Association of Residents in 1998 to make sure the voices of public housing residents were heard when decisions were being made about their housing. She is also employed by the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority, and still serves on the PHAR board. Still, on Wednesday, when the National Low Income Housing Coalition awarded her the 2021 Cushing Niles Dolbeare Lifetime Service Award, Johnson refused to take all the credit.

Dave Matthews Band and Bama Works, along with Red Light Management, GMA Construction Group, Martin Horn Inc., City of Charlottesville, Arnold Design Studios, Collins Engineering, VCDC, Legal Aid Justice Center, HUD, Riverbend Development collaborate to renovate and modernize Crescent Halls, and improve comfort and safety for the residents.

The project, which broke ground today, marks the first step in the redevelopment of Charlottesville's public housing.

$3 million in Vibrant Community Initiative funding to support holistic neighborhood redevelopment

The Dave Matthews Band is among the world's most successful groups in popular music. Their first new album in six years, "Come Tomorrow," was released last June. It was a record-setting seventh in a row to debut at No. 1. But for all its fame, The Dave Matthews Band hasn't forgotten the city of Charlottesville, Virginia, where it all began.

Part of the proceeds from the Dave Matthews Band’s hometown shows on Dec. 14 and 15 at John Paul Jones Arena will be included in a $5 million donation to support redevelopment of public housing in Charlottesville.

The band, Matthews himself and Red Light Management will donate the funds toward the renovation and/or replacement of all of the city’s public housing and the construction of additional affordable housing on underutilized land, the band announced Thursday morning.