A rededication ceremony on Friday for a local apartment complex celebrated major upgrades to the 60 units especially designed for elderly and disabled residents.

The Bettie S. Davis Apartments off Carolina Road were named for Virginia’s first black public health nurse, who served the Suffolk area for nearly four decades beginning in 1926. Several of those in attendance at Friday morning’s event knew her.

“She was a person who really cared,” said Councilman Curtis Milteer, who recalled getting his first shot from her when he entered school. “This has been a very good project.”

Mary Ricks, a resident at the apartments, also recalled Davis’ dedication to the community.

“Home is something that’s near and dear to my heart,” said Mayor Linda T. Johnson, a real estate agent.

Representing the office of Congressman J. Randy Forbes, his community outreach coordinator, Diana Williams, agreed.

“It’s so important that every American has a roof over his head,” she said.

The complex is a Section 8 community specifically for elderly or disabled residents who earn at or below 50 percent of the area’s median income, said Orlando Artze, the executive vice president and chief operating officer of Community Housing Partners, which bought the property in 2007.

Artze said the $2 million project included new roofs, exterior doors, windows, siding, water lines, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, kitchen appliances and cabinetry, water heaters and carpeting. It was funded in part with low income housing tax credits and American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds.

The project took about a year to do all 60 units, Artze said.

“We were just very fortunate to have residents who were very patient during the process,” Artze said, noting that most had to move to other units for about 45 days each while their apartment was overhauled.

He said he hopes the renovations will extend the useful life of the buildings another 20 years or so. They were built in the 1970s.

Having come to America as a refugee from Cuba as a young boy, Artze has a special perspective on the concept of “home” that he shared with guests at Friday’s rededication.

“It’s that special feeling of love in a place you can call your own,” he said. “You can make it feel personal, and you can have all your memories here. That’s wonderful.”