Financial Instability/Homelessness

Homelessness is a global challenge and local challenge. Too often being homeless is considered a personal and moral failure, and those who are homeless are considered undeserving. Yet inequality is the most consistently identified cause of homelessness. Homeless people face stigmatization, criminalization and discrimination because of their status as “homeless”. There are many on the streets in our communities that are in need of our support.

Follow our Roadmap for a step by step guide you can work through at you own pace to get started!

Five cities in Virginia were ranked in the Top 10 highest eviction rates in the nation:

Richmond, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Chesapeake (VHDA)

Financial Instability

In 2020, there were close to 6,000 Virginians experiencing homelessness. Of those, 234 were unaccompanied young adults between 18 & 24yo; 395 veterans; & 621 families.

Between 2018 and 2019, 20,443 Virginia public school students experienced homelessness, among them: 185 were homeless; 1,937 were in shelters; and 3,262 were in temporary housing such as motels. Join us and start to understand the complex issues surrounding housing instability.

Source: NLIHC

LEARN - TAKE ACTION

The information below will give you a strong foundation on this issue.

  1. HomewardVa.org
    Become a catalyst for change. Learn about homelessness in Central Virginia.

    Read: Our Work, Get the Facts. Spend time exploring each drop-down and the data page.

  2. CaritasVa.org
    Taking people from Crisis to Stability.

    Watch the video This is Caritas on the front page to learn about the Four Caritas programs.

  3. RealLifeProgram.org
    Serving individuals who have been impacted by incarceration, homelessness, or substance use disorder.

    Read: Houses and Journal

  4. Last, But Not Least!
    Add The Housing Resource Line (804-422-5061) to your contacts. If you already have this number saved, invite someone to save it in their contacts!

LOCAL PARTNERS

If you or anyone you know is a victim of financial instability, our partners can help.

  • RICHMOND, VA - REAL LIFE serves individuals who have been impacted by incarceration, homelessness, or substance use disorder by giving them an opportunity to overcome personal and community barriers that hinder their pathway to a thriving life.

  • RICHMOND, VA - Caritas exists to provide effective, permanent solutions to individuals and families dealing with the crisis of homelessness and/or addiction in the Metro Richmond area.

  • CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - The Haven endeavors to end homelessness in the greater Charlottesville area.

    Motivated by radical hospitality, they strive to be the point of entry for people seeking stable housing.

    Every day, trained staff and dedicated community volunteers come together, working side by side to make homelessness rare, brief, and nonrecurring.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

National Center for Children in Poverty
The National Center for Children in Poverty aims to improve the lives of low-income children and their families by delivering research to advocates and policymakers seeking to craft effective policies that promote healthy child development, and strong, nurturing families that are economically secure.

National Coalition for the Homeless
The National Coalition for the Homeless is a national network of people who are currently experiencing or who have experienced homelessness, activists and advocates, community-based and faith-based service providers, and others committed to a single mission: To end and prevent homelessness while ensuring the immediate needs of those experiencing homelessness are met and their civil rights are respected and protected.

National Alliance to End Homelessness
The National Alliance to End Homelessness is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization whose sole purpose is to end homelessness in the United States. They use research and data to find solutions to homelessness; they work with federal and local partners to create a solid base of policy and resources that support those solutions; and then they help communities implement them.