The site of Norfolk’s abandoned DePaul Hospital soon will brim with youthful energy as the new home of the Next Step for Success program, which encourages young people ages 13 to 18 to develop character strengths and self-expectations to achieve their full potential.
Currently, Next Step to Success serves 70 youths at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, adjacent to the DePaul site, but it has outgrown the location. The opportunity to acquire the hospital property seemed providential. Founded in 1856 during a Yellow Fever epidemic, the hospital was known for the highest rate of charity health care in the region. It was Virginia’s oldest Catholic hospital property, most recently owned by Bon Secours and Mercy Health. The vision for the new youth campus will continue St. Vincent de Paul’s ministry of hope.
The new home for Next Step to Success will be called the St. Vincent de Paul House. It is not a residential program, but rather an after-school and summer experiential learning program; students are transported home after the evening meal. The plan, an 8.9-acre campus, envisions three to four “Learning Houses” of 10,000 square feet each with classrooms on two stories, and an Art House (Media Center, art and music rooms). There will be a gymnasium, an auditorium/cafeteria, amphitheater, sports field, administration building with a small chapel and a meeting room. Learning Houses will feature porches overlooking the courtyard green and gardens where the teens will learn to grow, harvest, and cook healthy food.
The traditional campus design approach borrows cues from the historic St. Vincent de Paul house, with the Main House, Art House, and Gymnasium/Auditorium facing Newport Ave. The buildings are set back from the street, preserving all the mature trees, and providing a park-like setting for the neighborhood. Each learning house, set in a garden, is designed to feel like home and provide comfort and inspiration. The Next Step to Success program offers intentional programming to teach teens strategies to maximize their chances for success. Life skills, resilience, grit, growth mindset, learned optimism, self-control, teamwork, problem-solving and responsible decision-making are central to the program.
