South Tidewater News

Since 2014, the number of individuals identified as homeless in Virginia Beach during the annual Point-in-Time Count has decreased by 29%. Despite this downward trend, Virginia Beach Housing & Neighborhood Preservation (VBHNP) and its partners recognize the scope of homelessness is much greater since families and individuals experience housing crises and move in and out of homelessness on an ongoing basis for many different reasons.

For more than 30 years, City, faith and nonprofit organizations have partnered together to address homelessness in Virginia Beach. This effort has since evolved into the BEACH Community Partnership, a unified coalition of individuals and organizations who are committed to making homelessness rare, brief and nonrecurring.

In recognition of Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, BEACH is reminding the community how to connect with homeless support services and resources, and ways to join the effort to help people in need:

Get Help

• Accessing the Virginia Beach Homeless Service System:People experiencing homelessness or a housing crisis have multiple ways to access triage and assessment for housing and shelter programs:
  • Visit the Housing Resource Center (HRC), 104 N. Witchduck Road, during walk-in hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, from 8 a.m. to noon.
  • Call the Regional Housing Crisis Hotline, 757-227-5932, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Pre-Screening for Winter Shelter Program (Now through Nov. 21): Pre-screening is now open to help determine how many homeless adults (ages 18 and older) in Virginia Beach will need overnight shelter and identify the most vulnerable individuals experiencing homelessness. It does not guarantee placement in the Winter Shelter program. Pre-screening will be held at the HRC and PiN Ministry on various dates and times. View the pre-screening schedule online.
• Find Community Resources: Organizations that provide support services, including a list of faith-based food pantries, clothing and financial resources; health services; basic assistance and more are available at BEACHCommunityPartnership.org/Get-Help.

Give Help

• Join the Conversation: VBHNP is updating the City’s Community of One strategic plan to address homelessness, which was adopted in 2017. The public is invited to learn more about the scope of homelessness in Virginia Beach and provide feedback on the proposed goals for the new plan on Wednesday, Nov. 29, from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Meyera E. Oberndorf Central Library, 4100 Virginia Beach Blvd. The public input meeting will also include a panel discussion on unsheltered homelessness featuring Homeless Outreach staff, service providers and community partners.
• Connect With a BEACH Partner: BEACH has a diverse network of organizations that provide support services for people experiencing homelessness or a housing crisis. Find a cause and learn how to get involved at BEACHCommunityPartnership.org/Give-Help.
• Become a Housing Partner: Landlords and property owners play a key role in ending homelessness by renting their units to families and individuals who are ready to move into permanent housing. Benefits to landlords who partner with certain housing programs include monetary incentives; timely, guaranteed rent payments and the opportunity to create social impact in their community. To learn more, call the HRC at 757-385-5167 or visit VirginiaBeach.gov/LEAP.
• Donate to VB Home Now to Support Homeless Programs: VB Home Now is a nonprofit foundation that supports and enhances the community system of services, programs and facilities to prevent and end homelessness in Virginia Beach. Donations directly impact people who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of losing their housing by providing financial assistance for rent, utility and security deposits, rental arrears and emergency housing fees. To learn more or to donate, visit www.VBHomeNow.org. 

Original source can be found here.