Collaborative COVID-19 Response Planning
Homeward • Mar 19, 2020
How we are taking action to keep the community safe
Homeward is incredibly grateful for the successful partnership between the Greater Richmond Continuum of Care, the City of Richmond, local faith communities, and concerned citizens in the collaborative efforts to get people out of large encampments and into safe shelter during the COVID-19 pandemic. Large encampments are at high-risk of a COVID-19 outbreak and many people living outdoors are older and/or have medically-compromised immune systems. As of Thursday, March 19, 64 people previously experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Richmond were successfully placed in hotels and emergency shelter beds to reduce these risks and to connect them with ongoing resources.
On Wednesday, March 18, the Blessing Warriors organization began removing their property from the site known as Camp Cathy and requested help disposing of vacant and unwanted tents, the residents of which had been moved into emergency shelters or alternatives. The City will continue to remove vacant and unwanted tents and items on Thursday, March 19 while continuing to coordinate with Blessing Warriors and residents as needed.
Moving forward, The Greater Richmond Continuum of Care will shift its focus to connect people to stable housing and services such as employment, education, and healthcare. We are confident that the strength of the partnerships formed during our community’s COVID-19 pandemic response will continue in the coming weeks and months to provide the services and resources to the people placed in safe shelter who were previously experiencing unsheltered homelessness.
Richmond, VA – May 1, 2024 – Homeward – the planning agency for the Greater Richmond Continuum of Care (GRCoC), a network of homeless service providers that deliver coordinated and compassionate solutions to homelessness in the Richmond region – will host its annual Best Practices Conference on Friday, May 3, 2024 at The Westin Richmond hotel in Henrico County.
From experiencing homelessness himself to now helping others who are going through similar crises, Choice East brings invaluable empathy and insight to his work at Homeward.
The last week of February, Homeward hosted a series of learning opportunities in a Best Practices in Youth Services Summit. Over two days, GRCoC partners, YAB members, and TA support staff delved into the core competency topics of youth services, Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI), prioritizing joy for young people, and federal grant regulations.
Unsheltered Homelessness Continues to Rise as Housing Instability Remains a Top Regional Issue.
This post is part of a series that explores the ways in which the Richmond region addresses homelessness and provides context on how our collaborative and regional network operates. You can access other posts in this series on Access Versus Resources , Funding by The Numbers , and Keys to Helping More People .
This post is part of a series that explores the ways in which the Richmond region addresses homelessness and provides context on how our collaborative and regional network operates. You can access other posts in this series on Access Versus Resources , Funding by The Numbers , and Supporting Frontline Staff .
This post is part of a series that explores the ways in which the Richmond region addresses homelessness and provides context on how our collaborative and regional network operates. You can access other posts in this series on Access Versus Resources , Keys to Helping More People , and Supporting Frontline Staff .
This post is part of a series that explores the ways in which the Richmond region addresses homelessness and provides context on how our collaborative and regional network operates. You can access other posts in this series on Funding by The Numbers , Keys to Helping More People , and Supporting Frontline Staff.
Collecting reliable and consistent regional data about individuals and families experiencing homelessness is crucial in building an effective community-wide response.
On behalf of Homeward, we want to thank Mayor Levar Stoney, City Council President Michael Jones, Committee Chair and Councilmember Stephanie Lynch, all of the members of Richmond’s City Council, and the truly dedicated members of the City administration for making this significant and compassionate expansion of homeless assistance available. For 25 years, our community has come together across organizational and jurisdictional differences with a shared goal of reducing the crisis of homelessness.
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end homelessness.
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Contact info
info@homewardva.org
If you are within 3 days of losing housing, call The Homeless Connection Line: 804-972-0831 . If you are more than 3 days away from losing housing, call The Housing Resource Line: 804-422-5061