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Home My WebLink About20250522-HNP-Homelessness-CCBriefing-June3Homeless Issues & Service Delivery City Council Workshop Ruth D. Hill, Housing & Neighborhood Preservation Director | June 3, 2025 Overview •Our Goal •Understanding Homelessness and the Scope in VB •Our Community System to Address Homelessness •Strategies to Address Unsheltered Homelessness •Outcomes 2 Our Goal Is To Make Homelessness... Rare, Prevent people from experiencing homelessness Brief, Shorten the length of time that people experience homelessness and Nonrecurring Stably house & provide wraparound support to help people leave homelessness behind 3 Understanding Homelessness •Multiple factors impact homelessness. •People experience homelessness due to many different reasons. •The number of people who are experiencing homelessness is always changing. •A coordinated multi-disciplinary effort is necessary. •People are free to be in public spaces regardless of housing status. •People have personal choice. 4 How Many People Are Homeless in VB? Annual Point-in-Time (PIT) Count •One-day snapshot of population •Last count on Jan. 23, 2025 •2025 PIT Count: 327 overall 5 389 349 243 260 319 348 352 313 311 327 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025Number of Persons10-Year PIT Trend PIT 10-Year Trend: Sheltered and Unsheltered •Unsheltered count has decreased by 34% •Making co-occurring investment in non-communal shelter and permanent housing resulted in lowest unsheltered count in 2021 ES = Emergency Shelter TS = Transitional Housing 182 174 162 155 174 276 268 218 215 260 157 97 9 51 51 41 27 15 13 12 50 78 72 54 94 31 57 80 83 55 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025Number of PersonsSheltered ES Sheltered TH Unsheltered 6 Unsheltered Homelessness in VB 150 unsheltered households at any given time. Small subset live in encampments: •Approx. 75 people •30-35 encampments known to Outreach Marginalization: •Presence of unsheltered individuals in places people would rather not see them •Not considered a part of the community 7 Emerging Challenges in Addressing Unsheltered Homelessness Inadequate supply of suitable year-round shelter and housing to meet the need. Growing preference for non-communal shelter programs: •Do not want to leave belongings or pets •Couples want to be sheltered together •Concern about communicable illnesses •Want autonomy Mental health/substance abuse issues Challenging to engage and connect to services Addressing encampment issue involves balancing: •Health and safety of surrounding community •Our shelter and housing capacity •Compassion •Personal choice and service resistance •Property ownership •Legal precedents 8 Emergency Shelter Inventory in Virginia Beach 207 total beds: •88 beds: Single men and women •53 beds: Families and singles experiencing domestic violence (DV) •40 beds: Families with minor children (Non DV) •10 beds: Youth (ages 18-24) •16 beds: Transitional beds for veterans 9 Our Community System to Address Homelessness 10 History & Background •City-Faith-Nonprofit Partnership: 30+ years of working together, beginning with the Winter Shelter program •BEACH Community Partnership: •Formed in 2009 •Homelessness coalition of 30+ member organizations •Key milestones that led to transformation of service system •Initial Community of One strategic plan adopted in 2017 •Housing Resource Center opened in 2018 11 BEACH / System Partners •5 Star Residential •Begin Again Foundation •BrightView Health •CAMG •Catholic Charities of Eastern Virginia •Charity Tracker •Christ Investment Corp. •Church of the Ascension •Connect With A Wish •DHS Behavioral Health •Endependence Center •Hampton VAMC Homeless Programs •Interfaith Alliance at the Beach •JCOC •Johnson Homes •LGBT Life Center •Lift Fitness •Open Alter Ministries •Optima Health •PiN Ministry •Potter's House •Samaritan House •Senior Services of SE Virginia •Seniors Unlimited Lifestyles Inc. •Seton Youth Shelters •StandUp for Kids Hampton Roads •The Planning Council •VB Home Now •VB City Public Schools •VBCDC •VBDPH Community Development •Veterans Valhalla of Virginia •Virginia Beach Dept. of Health •Virginia Employment Commission •Virginia Supportive Housing •Virginia Veteran and Family Support •Vision Life Ministries 12 Types of Resources Available •Homeless Services: Financial assistance, permanent housing and shelter •Day Support/Basic Assistance: Showers, laundry, housing support, clothing, ID/birth certificate assistance, financial assistance, hygiene items, bike shop, LGBTQ+ youth meetings •Food/Meals: Community dinner, bag lunch, pre-packed grocery, food pantries •Health Services: Preventative medical 13 Three Ways to Access the Service System 1. Housing Resource Center (HRC): M, T, Th, F, 8 a.m.–noon •Homelessness prevention; help with locating housing; referrals to shelter; housing, other resources •One-stop shop of integrated services 2. Regional Housing Crisis Hotline: 757-227-5932; Mon.–Fri., 8 a.m.–5:30 p.m. •Operated by ForKids, Inc.; screening and referrals to community resources 3. Homeless Outreach: Mon–Fri., routine and flexible •Real-time access in the field •Role is to build trusting relationships and offer connection to services 14 Emergency Shelter Placement •Accessed through Hotline, Housing Resource Center (HRC) walk-ins, Outreach Housing Navigators •Standard assessment tool is used •Prioritize Most Vulnerable: •65+ •Acute health conditions: diabetes (insulin dependent),kidney disease,cancer, heart disease,COPD •Families with minor children (ages 0-5) •Received a notice to vacate from an encampment •Shelter providers report vacancies daily to Coordinated Assessment (CA) Team •Referrals are a collective decision by Outreach, Day Services and CA staff •The length of shelter stays is not based on a predetermined period of time. •Shelter rules are based on safety – low barrier 15 Street Outreach Housing Navigators Five-person team conducts outreach: •Persons living in cars, encampments, boardwalk, benches, storefronts, sidewalks. Purpose and role: •Build trust •Offer connections to shelter and services; facilitate securing ID documentation •Create actionable plans with individuals that will lead to permanent housing and help them navigate their plan Misperception the team is an enforcement authority. 16 Strategies to Address Challenges & Concerns 17 Limited Capacity •FY24 budget funded HRC single shelter expansion by 30 beds; completed March 2024 •Enhanced landlord engagement and new incentives •City contributed $1M (HOME + City ARPA) towards new JCOC campus (38 new permanent supportive housing units; currently under construction) Eligibility Limitations •City funds: Approved FY26 budget included $255K for prevention/diversion •Private donations (VB Home Now) and seeking other funding sources Mental Health / Substance Abuse Convened multi-disciplinary outreach effort: Homeless Outreach + Peer Recovery/Mental Health Staff; 2x/week Personal Choice Continued outreach and engagement •FY26 budget requested two new Housing Specialist positions in the Homeless Services Division; not funded Strategies to Address Challenges & Concerns (cont.) 18 Increased Visibility of Encampments •Convened multi-departmental workgroup (Housing, Parks & Rec./Landscape Services., VBPD, City Attorney, Human Services, Planning/Zoning, Public Works, EMS, Fire) •Developed and implemented coordinated site assessment and response strategy •FY26 budget included $250K for cleaning up homeless encampments (Parks & Rec.) Impact of Unsheltered Homelessness at Oceanfront and Town Center •Enhanced outreach: Flexible hours and on-call staff •Prioritized and targeted Emergency Housing Vouchers (based on vulnerability) •Coordination with VBPD and Resort Management Office (Oceanfront), and Central Business District Assoc. and VB Econ. Dev. (Town Center) VBPD Response at Town Center •Engagement with stakeholders •Enhanced patrols •Daily briefings •Collaboration with local employers/employees •Support from the Community Liaison Officer •Recommendations for businesses 19 “Community of One: All In” Strategies & Objectives •Expand coordination between City departments to develop an encampment response strategy. •Increase non-congregate sheltering opportunities when year-round shelter beds are full. •Build partnerships for storage and pet support. •Invest in a tool to better map and track encampments and improve opportunities to provide targeted services to those areas. •Create a small overflow shelter program from April to November in available space at the Housing Resource Center. •Increased Outreach staff (peer recovery/mental health). •Address primary causes of homelessness by ensuring there is an adequate supply of affordable housing targeting low-income households.20 Outcomes to Date (April 2024-April 2025) Total Encampments Cleared: 100 Individuals Connected to Shelter: 20 Individuals Exited to Housing: 5-10 Resident’s Concern: “…I am concerned about the increasing number of homeless people on Witchduck Road near the Housing Resource Center. I'm seeing more people, and it appears that a homeless camp is being established on the state property by the entrance ramp for interstate 264 West.” Resident’s Feedback After: “Thank you for what you do.It looks so much better out there now.I hope you were able to help those folks get more appropriate shelter.” 21 Lynn Shores at Virginia Beach Blvd. 22 Potters Road at Wesley Drive, Part I 23 Potters Road at Wesley Drive, Part II 24 Potters Road at Wesley Drive, Part III 25 Thank You Questions and Comments