Collaborative Disaster Response Planning for People Living Outdoors

Published: 13 September 2018

While it now seems that the bulk of the impact of Hurricane Florence will avoid our region, earlier this week our community was preparing for catastrophic weather. Part of this preparation involved a highly successful collaboration to connect our neighbors left completely exposed to the elements by a lack of housing with access to safe shelter during the storm.

Twice a year, Homeward leads the Point-in-Time (PIT) count, a one-day census of people experiencing homelessness in Greater Richmond. In July, data collected in the PIT count revealed that of the 577 people experiencing homelessness in our region, 185 people were unsheltered. Someone is considered unsheltered when they are sleeping on the streets, in an encampment, or in a place not meant for human habitation (e.g. a car or abandoned building).

The first step this week was to coordinate outreach workers to do welfare checks at locations where people were known to be living outdoors. In order to locate people living outdoors, the team relied on data from previous PIT counts and an online  outreach form that is open to the public. Next, a call was issued to emergency shelter providers to expand their capacity in preparation for Hurricane Florence. This call was answered by CARITAS, a local homeless service nonprofit. CARITAS opened 15 additional beds and expanded the length of time people could stay in some of their existing beds. Additionally, the City of Richmond opened two emergency shelters in response to the hurricane.

Lastly, we worked with partners across the region to communicate the efforts that were underway to get people connected to shelter. We heard from partners in law enforcement, at local congregations, as well as public offices that the coordinated deployment of outreach and communication helped workers make contact with dozens of people living outdoors. In fact, just this week there were 32 online requests for well-being checks submitted to our community’s coordinated outreach partners.

We are thankful for the hard work of our partners this week and every week. Because our community makes a collaborative effort to end homelessness throughout the year, we are able to mobilize a highly coordinated disaster response plan for our most vulnerable neighbors when the need arises.

Check out the below links to see media coverage on this week’s efforts:

https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/city-s-homeless-population-urged-to-seek-higher-ground/1437479724

https://ideastations.org/radio/news/richmond-ramps-homeless-outreach-ahead-hurricane

*Image:NPR

National Alliance to End Homelessness Conference

Published: 03 August 2018

Last month the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) held their annual National Conference on Ending Homelessness in Washington, D.C. The staff of many Richmond homeless service providers and agencies attended the conference, with several local professionals serving as panelists at conference sessions.

Each year, Homeward sends staff members to the national conference in order to build the local, state, and national partnerships that will continue to facilitate the decrease in number of people experiencing homelessness in our region. Through our participation in the conference we come to better understand:

• The changing nature of homelessness in other communities
• What innovative collaborations are delivering effective solutions to homelessness
• How we can further build on the success of our homeless service programs in Richmond

Want to know more? Here's what you can do to learn:

1) Take a look at the conference agenda to understand the focus of the sessions

2) Visit NAEH’s website to see how the data-driven model of best practices in a coordinated homeless services system is supported and implemented at a national level.

3) Keep an eye on Homeward’s blog, website, and newsletter to see how the ideas we engaged with at the conference will be translated into services designed to help our neighbors experiencing homelessness overcome their crisis.

How College Students Can Help End Homelessness in RVA

Published: 24 August 2018

Fall semester is kicking off this week for many of our local universities. If you are one of the thousands of college students in our region, Homeward welcomes you to the community.

Each year, we hear from college students who want to get involved with the work to end homelessness in our community. As many of you know, homelessness is a complex issue and cannot be solved by any one person or agency. That’s why we invite you to participate in our region’s collaborative approach to providing solutions to homelessness.

Here are four ways that students can get involved:

• Educate yourself and your student colleagues on best practices in homeless services.

Our region has a highly-developed, data-driven network of homeless service providers. The more you know about it, the better prepared you will be to help someone in need.

You can view the data that Homeward has collected on homelessness in greater Richmond on our website.

• Seek a volunteer or internship opportunity with a local homeless service organization.

Many homeless service organizations look for help with their programs during the academic year. Visit the HandsOn Greater Richmond website for volunteer opportunities and sign up for the connectva.org newsletter to stay up-to-date on internship openings.

• Support your local nonprofit homeless service organization.

We know that funds can be tight for a lot of students, but you can also support the work being done to end homelessness in Richmond by leading a donation drive through a student-led organization. Homeward is happy to help your organization identify the needs of our neighbors experiencing homelessness, as well as assist with getting the collected items into the hands of the people who need them.

• Connect people who are panhandling with helpful resources.

Many of you attend college in an urban setting where you will encounter people who will ask you for money or help. Visit the Homeward “Panhandling FAQs” webpage to learn more about this topic and understand the best ways to give help to those in need.

There is a lot of information in these links and we know you probably have questions. You can send questions to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Best of luck this semester! We look forward to connecting with you. 

Why PIT Count Matters

Published: 06 July 2018

Twice a year, Homeward leads our community in a Point-in-Time (PIT) count, a one-day census of people experiencing homelessness in our region. To accomplish this we recruit over 200 volunteers to survey the residents of emergency shelters, guests of community meal programs, and people living on the streets. We often communicate that the data we collect from the PIT count helps support the network of services that can help our neighbors living in shelters and on the streets get into housing. Today, we want to share with you what we mean by this in more detail.

A few years back, the PIT survey was updated to collect information about the accessibility of technology for people experiencing homelessness. The purpose of this update was to learn how people access resources and services. Based on the outcome of this survey, our community was confident that a majority of clients had access to a cell phone. In 2017, this finding inspired our community to launch the Shelter Diversion Line, a hotline which focused on problem-solving in order to prevent a client from entering homelessness.

In 2018, a follow up PIT question showed that an even stronger majority of clients had access to cell phones. Based on this data, the Shelter Diversion Line was expanded to be the primary access point for emergency shelter referral in Greater Richmond and was rebranded as the Housing Crisis Line.

As we worked towards easier access to homeless services for clients in the counties, without transportation, or unable to come to a set location, we also expanded our PIT volunteer base. We increased the number of community members that we engaged and gave them the ability to offer unsheltered people the option to be entered into our community-wide data system. Through this database, we are able to match clients with the services they need.

During the street outreach portion of the 2018 winter PIT count, one of our volunteers connected with a veteran who had been living outdoors in one of the counties for over two years. The man had only change in his pocket and no means to come to the city to seek services; however, he did have a cell phone. He was willing to take the survey and allowed our volunteer to take his information for the database. Days later, this vet was matched with an open shelter bed and was on the path to housing. By administering the surveys and connecting unsheltered clients with our data system, our volunteers are contributing to the programs that get people like this veteran off the streets and into housing.

Our summer 2018 PIT count is in two weeks and we still have a huge need for volunteers. Please help support the work of your local homeless service nonprofits, and help your neighbors overcome their crisis. Sign up to volunteer at the PIT count today!

*Photo by nickseitz.com