The 100-acre Southwood Mobile Home Park is located off 5th Street Extended, about a mile from the 120 Exit of Interstate 64. It was opened in the mid 1970s and contains some 350 trailers. The actual number of residents is unknown, but a 2009 survey estimated 1,229. Southwood’s residents are low income and over half are Spanish speaking Mexicans, Salvadorans and Hondurans.

On March 1, 2007, Habitat for Humanity purchased Southwood. It plans to begin development there sometime after 2013, upon completing its first local trailer park transformation at Sunrise. To accommodate current residents and to increase the density of Southwood to make development economically viable and successful, Habitat is contemplating a combination of houses, townhouses, condominiums, and apartments. Presently, Habitat ownership is limited to adults who are U.S. permanent residents or citizens. In a February 2010 public forum, Habitat mentioned this policy can be changed locally. All adults, regardless of residency or citizenship status, can rent Habitat housing. In the past, Habitat’s priority has been to give current residents priority in the new housing Habitat develops.

For information about Southwood, visit Habitat’s Southwood webpage at http://cvillehabitat.org/southwood.shtml or contact Karin Roseat at 434/293-9066 or krose@cvillehabitat.org Southwood’s Property Manager is Rush Bailey (434-979-0856). Anne Ternes, the previous Property Manager, is now Southwood’s Coordinator of Services; she can be reached at 434/202-0805 or anne@southwoodcville.com Anne’s office is located at 1347 Bitternut, in the trailer across the street from Southwood’s office.

The coordinator of the CJ Southwood Work Group is Gloria Rockhold. She can be contacted at grockhold@k12albemarle.org To suggest additions or changes to the Southwood web page, email cj.cville@gmail.com


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