Homeward Announces Safety Net Shelter Seasonal Closure Date
Mar 30, 2021
Homeward Announces Safety Net Shelter Seasonal Closure Date
Richmond, VA – March 30, 2021 –
Per Safety Net Shelter (SNS) protocol developed by community members, the SNS in the City of Richmond will close on April 15, 2021. Providers and program participants were first notified of the planned program closure on March 16, 2021. All participants are encouraged to work with homeless service providers to identify housing resources and develop a housing-focused plan to help them transition to stable housing. Although everyone is offered this assistance, not all individuals chose to utilize this support while they are in the shelter program.
Among the additional resources offered to individuals who access the SNS are employment, housing, and other community resources based on each person’s needs and desires. One particular focus is to help participants access stimulus funding and tax refunds because these can be valuable resources for securing safe and stable housing.
Individuals and families experiencing homelessness will continue to have access to other emergency shelters in the Richmond region, including shelter programs designed for individuals, families, and those most at risk from COVID-19.
The SNS is a temporary and seasonal program that first launched on October 30, 2020 and was intended to provide safe indoor accommodation that met all public health guidelines when certain inclement weather thresholds were met during the winter. In order to meet the community needs for shelter, the SNS has been open every night since January 3, 2021 regardless of overnight temperature. Since it first opened, the SNS has served over 1,500 people experiencing homelessness.
Homeward also will facilitate the Greater Richmond Continuum of Care Seasonal Shelter Task Force Committee in late April, which will provide shelter program recommendations for next winter season. The decision to close the SNS on April 15, 2021 is in line with well-established guidelines for previous cold weather and seasonal shelter programs stretching back to 2014.
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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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