Winter Planning to Serve Our Most Vulnerable Neighbors
The Richmond region got its first blast of winter recently. As the winter season approaches, we all brace for cold days and colder nights. Winter is always an especially difficult time for our neighbors pushed into homelessness. Homeward staff have been working diligently with Greater Richmond Continuum of Care (GRCoC) partners to prepare for the additional challenges that come with cold weather.
Our coordinated and compassionate system of homeless service providers works daily to serve as many people as possible. We know that the demand for homeless services far outpaces the capacity and resources in our region.
Intentional and strategic coordination helps us maximize impact. That’s why winter planning has been ongoing for more than two months. This blog post provides a summary of those planning efforts, what we may see this winter, and how we all can continue to support those pushed into homelessness.
Winter Outlook
There are a number of systemic factors that contribute to homelessness in our region, such as increased cost of living, high rent prices, not enough homes for everyone, economic uncertainty and job losses, and cuts to federal funding and programs. These factors have led to increasing rates of homelessness in our region.
We expect to see elevated rates of homelessness, including unsheltered homelessness, during the winter. Additionally, we anticipate increased housing instability, which will put more pressure on our homeless services system because those who are pushed towards homelessness (i.e., forced to double up or live in hotels) will feel less secure and reach out for assistance from homeless service providers.
If our region has extreme winter weather, the homeless services system will be under significant strain.
Winter Planning and Prep
GRCoC partners and Homeward staff have been working together to identify ways that we can serve more people, especially given this challenging context.
There have been a series of planning meetings focused on coordination between The Salvation Army, CARITAS, local government partners, and Homeward related to the Inclement Weather Shelter and new Surge Shelter. Discussions have centered on logistics, such as opening timelines, transportation, staffing, and communication strategies. This group has gathered three times and will continue meeting.
A second series of planning meetings has focused on how to support families seeking shelter during the winter. Discussions are tailored to the needs of families and focus on diversion options, case conferencing, and access to resources. This series of meetings has included local government partners, Commonwealth Catholic Charities, Daily Planet Health Services, Housing Families First, YMCA, and Homeward. These planning meetings take place alongside established weekly meetings among GRCoC partners.
Furthermore, with recent changes and reductions in federal funding for homeless services, Homeward and GRoC partners are collaborating at multiple levels to try to preserve funding for our region. For more information on these changes, watch this recent Channel 8 news story and review analysis from the National Alliance to End Homelessness.
How You Can Help
There are four tangible ways that we all can help individuals and families facing homelessness this winter:
1. Connect to Street Outreach: If you see someone experiencing unsheltered homelessness, fill out the Notification of an Individual Sleeping Outdoors form to contact street outreach workers. They’re trained to engage and support people living outside.
2. Share Resources: Helping people get information about resources can be a powerful way to support those in need. Homeward’s Housing Resource Card and The Street Sheet both offer extensive details on an array of housing and basic needs resources.
3. Spread Accurate Information: Ensuring that accurate information is disseminated around the community is crucial to connect those in need with resources in a timely manner. The GRCoC will host multiple training and events in November and December. Check out the events calendar online. Specifically, we recommend Connection to Homeless Services on 11/21 and Housing Problem Solving on 12/5.
4. Donate: Consider donating to a GRCoC partner. A list of local nonprofits funded by the GRCoC or are partners on the Homeless Connection Line are online here.
