Micah Ecumenical Ministries’ Jeremiah Community is really going to get built.
That’s a message Micah Executive Servant-Leader Meghann Cotter is taking from recent news that the supportive housing neighborhood for the chronically homeless is getting its biggest donation to date: $2.9 million in federal funding.
“More and more people this week have said, ‘This is really going to happen,’” Cotter said Thursday. “And I said, ‘Yeah, it’s really going to happen.’”
The money is coming through a congressionally directed spending request from Virginia’s U.S. senators, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine and was included in the appropriations bill President Donald Trump recently signed into law. Kaine and Warner last week announced more than $12.1 million in Fredericksburg-area projects that received funding, and their fellow Democrat, Rep. Eugene Vindman, on Thursday announced additional projects in his district that were getting money.
Jeremiah Community is planned for 31 acres off Fall Hill Avenue in Fredericksburg. The first phase of the project will cost $17.5 million and include 50 housing units, a community center and seven years of operating costs. The new federal appropriation will cover a significant amount of the initial infrastructure needed before home construction begins, including roads and utilities, according to an announcement of the funding.
After years of planning, supporters hope Jeremiah Community has found its home
“Micah Ecumenical Ministries plays a crucial role in supporting individuals experiencing homelessness and helping them find a safe place to live,” Kaine and Warner said in a joint statement. “We’re glad to have secured funding to support the construction of a new supportive housing neighborhood, which will include small homes, duplexes and apartments with comprehensive on-site amenities. We look forward to celebrating this important investment to improve affordable housing.”
While located in Fredericksburg, Jeremiah Community will also serve those who become homeless in Spotsylvania, Stafford, Caroline and King George counties. At build-out, the subdivision will have 189 small homes, duplexes and apartments. It will be organized in a neighborhood setting to promote relationship-building and community engagement of tenants who live with one or more disabilities, the announcement said.
A technical drawing of a Jeremiah home. (Image courtesy of Micah Ecumenical Ministries)
Homes in Jeremiah Community’s first phase will be approximately 500 square feet, including a bathroom, kitchen, bedroom and front porch. Everyone who lives there will pay rent ($300-$500 per month), be asked to follow rules of the community and be required to follow civil law.
A $17.5 million capital campaign is underway for the first phase, with construction anticipated to begin this year. More than $6 million was secured from sources including in-kind contributions, grants and other community giving before the federal aid was approved.
“We’ve raised a lot of money outside of government resources, but this really jumpstarts and puts a whole lot of momentum behind this campaign,” Cotter said of the congressional funding.
Mental health money
The Healing Station Counseling Center in Stafford will also receive $245,000 to expand access to mental health services, Kaine and Warner said.
The counseling center is a nonprofit that primarily serves the uninsured in the Fredericksburg region, Executive Director Denise Willis said Thursday. The organization doesn’t currently have a wait list to see its clinicians.
“But as the demand grows for services, this will allow us to increase the staff so that we can meet the needs of more of our community residents,” Willis said.
Money for government
Governmental entities will also receive federal assistance, Kaine and Warner announced.
The largest line-item is $5.7 million for the Quantico Marine Corps base to support construction of a new, larger Child Development Center for active-duty military and Department of Defense civilian families, the senators said.
Other appropriations would go to the criminal justice system, including more than $1 million for the Stafford Sheriff’s Office to replace 345 mobile radios in patrol vehicles.
“We have already replaced all our portable radios (one’s worn on the deputy’s belt), so this would allow our mobile radios to mirror the technology of our portable radios,” Sheriff’s Maj. R. Jason Dembowski wrote in an email to the Free Press.
Another $460,000 would go to support evidence-based, pre- and post-release re-entry programs for inmates at the Rappahannock Regional Jail.
Road projects
Some federal funds will go to transportation work, Kaine and Warner said.
A total of $1.5 million will go to the Virginia Department of Transportation to widen, realign and improve intersections along Shelton Shop Road between Soaring Eagle Drive and Mountain View Road in Stafford, improving traffic flow and safety.
The entire project is expected to cost $35.1 million, according to VDOT spokeswoman Kelly Hannon, and to be completed in the fall of 2031.
“These federal funds will help to offset an increase in [the] project’s estimated cost,” Hannon wrote in an email.
And $250,000 will go to VDOT to improve Leeland Road in Stafford by constructing a two-way left turn lane, a crosswalk, sidewalks and bike lanes to improve safety.
The total cost estimate for this work is $20.7 million, and the money will help to offset an increase in its price tag, Hannon wrote.
Two projects will be built through a single construction contract in this instance. They’re expected to be finished in 2031, as well.
Vindman, whose 7th District includes the Fredericksburg area, also secured the Leeland money through the House’s community project funding process. And he was able to ensure federal funding would go to two VDOT projects in Spotsylvania.
One is improvements to the intersection of Harrison and Salem Church roads. It is to receive $850,000.
The total cost estimate for this work is $11.4 million, $10.3 million for the intersection improvement and $1 million for a trail connector. It will be advertised for construction in 2028 and completed in 2030, Hannon wrote.
The other project will improve Interstate 95’s Exit 126 on ramps. It will receive $250,000.
The total cost for this work is estimated to be $42 million, Hannon wrote, and construction is already underway. It is scheduled to be completed in September 2027. Federal funds will offset local money slated for the project, allowing Spotsylvania’s government to apply funds to another project.
Vindman’s office announced Friday that he also secured $967,000 for equipment and infrastructure upgrades for the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office.
The funding will modernize the department’s radio communication system by upgrading to interoperable devices capable of working in rural areas, particularly providing reliable coverage in and around Caroline school buildings and over school WiFi.
The current radios lack this capability, Vindman’s office said, creating gaps in communication during emergencies. The investment addresses a significant officer safety concern while strengthening coordination and improving public safety for the broader community and local schools.
