The Virginia Coalition for the Homeless (name changed later) was founded by Sue Capers in 1984 to identify solutions to homelessness in Virginia. Ms Capers was active in opening emergency shelters in Richmond to provide temporary housing for individuals and families experiencing homelessness, but the problem only seemed to be increasing. Churches and shelters were reporting that more and more people were at their doors requesting emergency help. Ms Capers petitioned the city government and the state legislature to no avail. There was no adequate response. Capers determined that something had to be done to prevent the growing devastation of homelessness. So in the days before email and the world wide web, she got in her car and drove around Virginia to find other people and programs that helped people experiencing homelessness.
100 people from across the state attended the first meeting of the Virginia Coalition for the Homeless. Richmond lawyer and Virginia's former Governor Tim Kaine led this first meeting which captured the desperation and isolation of individuals and organizations serving those experiencing homelessness. But the meeting also awakened a feeling of power that together they could identify solutions to this problem, and the Virginia Coalition for the Homeless (VCH) was born.
VCH catapulted itself to success very quickly. The compilation of statewide data on homelessness and the formation of a unified group dedicated to combating homelessness fueled a quick response from state government with the creation and eventual expansion of several state programs to prevent and end homelessness.
In 2006, VCH changed its name to the Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness (VCEH) to reflect the transformation in the nation's approach and a new focus on housing solutions. VCEH operated for years without dedicated staff or financial resources. The organization just recently hired its first Executive Director to take the organization's work to the next level.
