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November 2011: Martinsville and West Piedmont
Martinsville and West Piedmont: On November 11, the West Piedmont Better Housing Coalition (WPBHC) held a luncheon in which they released their regional Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness and announced the regions participation in the statewide 1,000 Home initiative. WPBHC’s plan to end homelessness identifies a number of priorities, including increasing the number of permanent housing units where supportive services are provided and a strategy to explore the creation of and seek funds for a 60-unit apartment complex to provide permanent housing with supportive services for people with disabilities in Henry County and Martinsville. Jim Tobin, executive director of Piedmont Community Services and chairman of the coalition, noted that the need for 200 such units was identified.
July 2011: Richmond, Martinsville, and Hampton Roads
Richmond: Virginia Supportive Housing has been awarded grant funding for the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program. This is the Veterans Administration’s newest prevention initiative that is designed to serve 22,000 Veteran families across the United States. Congratulations to all of the staff at Virginia Supportive Housing!
Martinsville: The West Piedmont Better Housing Coalition, with technical assistance and support from VCEH, has developed their 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness.
Hampton Roads: Virginia has the highest percentage of teens aging out of the foster care system without a permanent home, and over 400 teens are currently in the foster care system in South Hampton Roads. When these youth age out of foster care, statistics tell us that they are significantly more likely to experience homelessness, unemployment, or incarceration. To help these youth transition from foster care into employment and independent living, a Disconnected Youth Committee has been convened to research Best Practices in youth housing programs that will support teens and young adults as they make the transition to independence.
June 2011: Danville, Roanoke, Fairfax County, Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, Virginia Beach, Charlottesville
Danville and Roanoke: In June, the Danville Redevelopment and Housing Authority (DRHA) and the Roanoke RHA received notification that they are the two authorities in Virginia to be awarded new federally-funded Family Unification Program (FUP) grants and have each been approved for 50 new vouchers. According to the National Center on Housing and Child Welfare, “FUP provides the child welfare system with the resources necessary to prevent family separation due to homelessness and prevent homelessness among aging-out youth. Eligible families include those who are in imminent danger of losing their children to foster care primarily due to housing problems and families who are unable to regain custody of their children primarily due to housing problems. Eligible youth include those who were in foster care anytime after the age of 16 who are currently between the ages of 18- 21 (have not reached their 22 birthday) and are homelessness or at risk of homelessness. FUP is an invaluable resource for parents whose difficult struggle to make ends meet has resulted in family separation.” The FUP grant is a partnership between the redevelopment and housing authority and the local social service agency. Congratulations to Danville and Roanoke for successful grant applications that will provide housing for families desperately in need. Congratulations to Danville and Roanoke for successful grant applications that will provide housing for families desperately in need.
Fairfax County: In their community snapshot series, the National Alliance to End Homelessness recently acknowledged the results achieved in Fairfax County and Falls Church in reducing homelessness as a result of their focus on permanent housing and a standardized intake screening tool.These results are due to the hard work and leadership of the Fairfax County Office to Prevent and End Homelessness and numerous community partners. Great work Fairfax!
Harrisonburg and Rockingham County: The Harrisonburg and Rockingham County Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness Steering Committee along with its partners held a Community Forum on May 19 to unveil its Ten Year Plan Blueprint for Implementation to prioritize community action steps for the first year of plan implementation. Among their major strategies for years one and two of implementation are a prevention pilot program to reduce homelessness among school-age children, plans for permanent supportive housing for the chronically homeless, central intake, and methods to address their need for low-barrier thermal shelter options. The City of Harrisonburg and the County of Rockingham approved the Harrisonburg and Rockingham County Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness in the fall of 2010. VCEH has provided technical assistance for the development of the ten year plan and is excited about the level of community support and will to make an even greater impact on the lives of individuals and families that exists in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. VCEH has provided technical assistance for the development of the ten year plan and is excited about the level of community support and will to make an even greater impact on the lives of individuals and families that exists in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County.
Virginia Beach: On May 5th, Sheriff Ken Stolle offered $121,596 from his reserve fund in response to City Council budget discussions that would cut the local mental health and substance abuse program. We applaud the Sheriff for his recognition that the resources available for mental health and substance abuse programs are directly related to the number of people in jail and that we need better and more preventative responses.
Charlottesville: Five men experiencing homelessness, the ACLU of Virginia, and local attorney Jeffrey Fogel are involved in a lawsuit against the City of Charlottesville in response to an ordinance passed last August by City Council that restricts panhandling on the Downtown Mall and in other areas. Their case is based upon the premise that the ordinance violates the rights of free speech and equal protection. Two of the men involved in the lawsuit are reported to have been homeless for multiple years and expressed that their disabilities make it nearly impossible to find work and therefore resort to panhandling. Perhaps the biggest issue is the lack of adequate housing and income (employment or benefits). VCEH encourages Charlottesville members to utilize this situation to demonstrate the need for permanent supportive housing in their community.
