Building the CASE to Solve Homelessness: Reflections from Our First In-Person CASE Session

Jen Johnson • June 10, 2026

Earlier this week, Homeward held the first-ever in-person Collaborative Agency Support Exchange (CASE) session, bringing together homeless service providers, healthcare partners, outreach teams, local governments, and community organizations from across the region.

CASE was created to strengthen collaboration among the professionals who participate in case conferencing throughout the year. The gathering provided an opportunity to build relationships, share resources, learn from one another, and explore new ways to support individuals and families experiencing homelessness.


Over the past several months, our community has reimagined case conferencing to better meet the diverse needs of people experiencing homelessness. We have expanded both the populations we focus on and the partners involved, creating more targeted opportunities for collaboration and problem-solving. By bringing together expertise from housing, healthcare, behavioral health, education, and human services, we are building a more coordinated response to homelessness.


The CASE meeting featured a presentation from Dr. Cook on recognizing and responding to heat-related illnesses, as well as interactive feedback activities where participants shared training needs, community resources, and ideas for future collaboration.


One of the greatest strengths of CASE is the opportunity for providers to learn from one another. Participants exchanged information about new resources, upcoming community events, and strategies to better support those experiencing housing instability.


While we are proud of the progress we have made, we know there is more work ahead. Expanding partnerships and continuing to strengthen collaboration across systems will remain essential to ensuring everyone has access to the support they need.


Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to the conversation. We look forward to continuing to build the CASE to solve homelessness—together.


More Information:

Types of Case Conferencing

CASE Preliminary Data (January - June 2026)


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By Elizabeth Handwerk August 7, 2026
Last week, Homeward hosted a Virginia Landlord-Tenant Law Training led by emeritus pro bono attorney Martin Wegbreit, who has worked with the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society for over 40 years. This event brought together case managers, housing navigators, and other frontline professionals from across the Greater Richmond region.
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Rayne is a MSW student at VCU's School of Social Work and this year's Coalition Support Intern at Homeward. We asked for her perspective on the connections between social work and homeless services now that she's been with us for a few months.
By Kelly King Horne May 28, 2026
Iain De Jong of Org Code Consulting shared a video today “Want to help with homelessness? Do this. Not that.” This is one of the best summaries of how all of us can be a part of addressing the homelessness crisis in our community. The video is only 7 minutes, and Iain is always worth listening to but here is my summary of what touched me.
April 28, 2026
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 the 2026 Best Practices Conference on Friday, May 1, 2026 at the DoubleTree Richmond-Midlothian hotel in Chesterfield County.
By Elizabeth Handwerk April 7, 2026
"Homeward is there to bring all the different pieces of homeless services together. "
March 19, 2026
Data from the January 2026 Point in Time (PIT) count show that homelessness in the Richmond region remained relatively steady. The January 2026 PIT count recorded 618 people experiencing homelessness, which is slightly lower than the January 2025 count that recorded 660 people experiencing homelessness.
By Elizabeth Handwerk March 17, 2026
“It is rewarding and meaningful to know that accurate data directly impacts planning and service delivery for people experiencing homelessness.”
February 27, 2026
As the planning and coordinating agency of the Greater Richmond Continuum of Care (GRCoC), Homeward staff members work closely with local leaders and community members in participating jurisdictions across our region. Greater Richmond is a diverse area and our localities range from urban to suburban to rural. The needs of those communities differ as well.