Moving from Good Intentions to Real Impact: 5 Ways Our Community Can Address Homelessness

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.

The key takeaway for interested community members is that “Good intentions are common. Impact is not.”

Here are Iain’s suggestions:


1) Use your voice. Homelessness programs are not funded at the level needed to have the biggest impact.

· Learn about federal funding for housing and homelessness. Share your thoughts with your elected representatives.

· Connect with the Virginia Housing Alliance to learn about opportunities in Virginia.


2) Fund what works.

· Our community annual report has details of the impact of proven programs working in our community.

· Connect with and support one of the agencies working collaboratively to support our neighbors experiencing homelessness.


3) Stop making the system harder to run. Coordinating resources reduces duplication of efforts and confusion among people seeking assistance.

· Get plugged into regional efforts to see where you can make the biggest impact.

· Donate an item from our community wish list. Homeward distributes these items to our regional partners.


4) Treat people like people. “Dignity is a behavior and not a program.”

· Find a volunteer opportunity to connect with people in our community.


5) Get informed. People experiencing homelessness need life-saving interventions and housing-focused programs connected to supportive services.

· Learn about resources in our community through a monthly training.

· Sign up for the Homeward newsletter find ways to partner with us.


Let us know what you think and how you’d like to help!

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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.

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By Elizabeth Handwerk • April 7, 2026
"Homeward is there to bring all the different pieces of homeless services together. "

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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.

Staff Spotlight: Kavita Tiwari

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.”

Community Collaboration in Action

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.