Beyoncé & Kelly Rowland Open 31-Unit Housing Development
Originally published by AllHipHop Read the original
Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland helped open 31 homes in Houston for people who have spent long stretches without a place to live.
The singers joined Tina Knowles on Tuesday for a ribbon-cutting at St. John’s Downtown.
The new Knowles-Rowland House turned their former youth center into permanent supportive housing. Bread of Life rebuilt the site, with its sister group, Temenos Community Development Corporation, providing services to help residents stay housed.
For Beyoncé, the gathering brought her back to the church where she was baptized. She thanked pastors Juanita and Rudy Rasmus for the support they had given her family.
“I made the choice on my own to be baptized because I felt the spirit here, and I feel the spirit right now,” she said, the Houston Chronicle reported.
The site’s ties to Destiny’s Child date to the group’s early success. Earnings from their first single helped fund the gymnasium and youth center, which opened in 1999.
Hurricane Harvey damaged the building in 2017, and a fire hit it in 2021. Bread of Life used the space for storage before starting the housing work.
The rebuilding plan announced in 2023 included about $7.2 million in federal relief funds committed by Harris County. The county set aside that money to buy the gym and convert it into apartments with a shared lounge and dining space.
The three-story building stands at 1615 Gray St. in Houston’s Midtown area. The building includes 16 apartments designed for people with mobility or sensory impairments. The county listed the homes for people who earn 30% or less of the area’s median income.
The support extends beyond a room. Residents will get access to mental health care, substance use treatment, life skills training and help with food. Case managers will also help them connect with public benefits and income support.
Camille Chappell, Bread of Life’s vice president of programs and partnerships, told KPRC that the Coalition for the Homeless would refer residents with housing vouchers through Houston Alliance HTX.
The event also highlighted the Rudy and Juanita Rasmus Food Distribution Center. The couple founded Bread of Life in 1992, and the group continues to provide food, housing and health support.
The ribbon-cutting came ahead of the first move-ins. Residents are due to start moving into Knowles-Rowland House on November 1, according to the Chronicle.
