Housing Alexandria Groundbreaking Event

Last fall we planned a first for us kind of event – the Housing Alexandria Groundbreaking Event! The event was held for a nonprofit redevelopment project for Housing Alexandria. The organization is a nonprofit that dedicates itself to providing affordable housing in Alexandria City.

We previously worked with them on their fall fundraising event so this Housing Alexandria Groundbreaking Event was an exciting opportunity. H&L coordinated vendors from tent set up, to portable restrooms, to A/V items for the ceremony. Our team also coordinated Housing Alexandria branded items. This included construction hats, water bottles, banners, notebooks, programs, and hand sanitizers which was a fun touch!

We are also grateful for returning clients and helping them with any and all types of events. We appreciate the trust it takes to work with event planners especially on large, impactful events like this one!

From Housing Alexandria’s website:

“Housing Alexandria broke ground on Sansé and Naja, marking a significant step in creating a vibrant and inclusive community in the heart of the Arlandria-Chirilagua.

Sansé and Naja will be an innovative, mixed-use residential and commercial development designed to address the growing need for committed affordable housing in the neighborhood. This new community includes a total of 474 affordable homes, over 100 of which will be available at the deeply affordable 40% Area Median Income threshold, ensuring future affordability for residents who have long been an integral part of this vibrant neighborhood.

Ceremony participants highlighted that the work to reach this milestone required deep collaboration and partnership among community, government, design, financial, and housing partners.

The Sansé and Naja project goes beyond housing by providing publicly accessible outdoor community spaces with all-ages features, improving pedestrian safety, and enhancing stormwater systems. Additionally, the building will be equipped with Ting internet, ensuring tenants have access to essential online resources. Housing Alexandria will also provide 34,000 square feet of community-serving commercial space, which will include tenants like low-cost childcare and healthcare services.

The words “Sansé” and “Naja” come from Nahuat (na-wat), a language indigenous to El Salvador and part of the broader Uto-Aztecan/Uto-Nahuatl family. Sansé (san-say), the name for the larger building, means “unique” or “only one” and invokes a sense of a unified group. Naja (na-jah or na-ha), the name for the smaller building, means “me” or “myself”. The name and logo were developed by our design team in consultation with residents and advocacy organizations in Arlandria-Chirilagua to create a brand identity that was by and for the residents of the neighborhood.”