PORTSMOUTH, Va. — A local youth nonprofit that has helped dozens of Portsmouth teens is preparing to expand, with a new facility promising more resources, space and opportunities.
Big H.O.M.I.E.S. Community Outreach, currently operating the Little Homies youth enrichment and recreation center, is moving forward with plans to build a second, significantly larger location in the southside of Portsmouth.
“It’s going to be big. It’s a big building, it’s a big tall building, and it’s a big structure,” said Co-founder and Director of Big H.O.M.I.E.S. Eugene Swinson.
The new 11,000-square-foot facility will include classroom space, a gym, a food pantry and a computer lab.
Swinson says the grocery store is not nearby where they plan to put the building and considers the area a food desert. He hopes to make fresh produce available to people in the neighborhood.
Swinson says the project has been in the works since November 2022, although it has faced delays.
“Soil tests were one of the issues that we ran into,” Swinson explained. “There was a pipe here that the city thought they owned, but the Navy actually owned. Most of those [issues] have been taken care of, but it was a process.”
Swinson said the Southside location was chosen intentionally, close to Prentis Park and surrounded by several apartment complexes where crime has spiked in the past.
“This would pretty much be in the middle of everything,” he said. “We want this space to be a positive presence for the community.”
For 15-year-old Nevaeh Perry, Big H.O.M.I.E.S. is already more than a center; it’s family. She says Swinson has been there for her.
“I would call it more of a safe haven for me,” Perry said. “He makes sure I have a lot of opportunities and stuff like that. He never leaves you out. He makes sure everybody's good.”
Perry, who has been involved with the nonprofit since she was 9, said Swinson is “like an uncle” to her.
Now, she’s looking forward to what the new center and Swinson could bring for her and other Portsmouth youth.
“I'm very proud. Yeah, I'm excited to see the new things he has going on," Perry said.
Swinson said they hope to break ground this fall.
