Cycle of Compassion: Collaboration in Action
This blog post is the fourth in a five-part series that explores the Greater Richmond Continuum of Care and how our collaborative and compassionate network has a tangible impact on the Richmond region, especially for our most vulnerable neighbors experiencing homelessness. If you’ve not already done so yet, read the first, second, and third posts to catch up with the full series.
Members of the Greater Richmond Continuum of Care (GRCoC) work together daily to maximize limited resources and serve as many people as possible. Collaboration is central to their ability to have a larger impact in our region.
Homeless assistance programs and policies can seem abstract in many ways. For instance, there are complex guidelines in place to ensure accountability, transparency, and that people pushed into homelessness are truly helped.
Despite the alphabet soup of programs and laws, the goal remains constant: help more people get back on the path to a permanent home. Three examples from the past year highlight how this work has a direct impact on our most vulnerable neighbors.
Supporting Seniors in Need
Older adults are the fastest-growing segment of people experiencing homelessness in the Richmond region. In response to this trend, a group of organizations have come together to develop solutions tailored to the unique needs of seniors. The Elder Shelter Justice Initiative is run through VCU’s Department of Gerontology in partnership with the Virginia Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services, CARITAS, the Span Center, and Homeward. One example of this collaboration is that qualifying older adults placed in affordable senior housing units also receive additional, wraparound services, such as connections to healthcare, furniture, and other resources to become established in their new homes. This partnership also boasts a number of training sessions for local shelter staff and case managers on how to identify elder abuse and engage with older adults. Finally, case conferencing has been central to the collaboration. Homeward has brought together a variety of partners to discuss solutions specifically for older adults and bridged homelessness with health care, local hospitals, and other systems of care.
Working Together for Housing
Street outreach workers are on the frontlines of our region’s efforts to address homelessness. In a recent case, a mom with a young child lost her housing as the result of a domestic violence incident. She was connected with a street outreach worker at Commonwealth Catholic Charities (CCC), a GRCoC partner agency. The street outreach worker developed a plan to break down the mom’s barriers one at a time, including basic needs support, medical and health, employment, transportation, and housing. CCC worked with Homeward and the City of Richmond to identify and deploy funds to assist the mom in searching for and securing housing. The three groups collaborating with one another and the mom found a path forward. She’s now living in her own home with her child. She’s employed and rebuilding her life now that she has safe and stable housing.
Public Private Partnerships to Address Homelessness
The Town of Ashland noticed an increase in visible homelessness and recognized the need for a proactive response to support these vulnerable neighbors. The community launched a task force to study homelessness which recommended the creation of a dedicated set of outreach workers to assist Ashland residents in resolving their housing crisis. GRCoC agencies, including the Daily Planet Heath Services and Commonwealth Catholic Charities, have collaborated with local government officials and law enforcement to identify and provide services for those in need who qualify for homelessness assistance. This dedicated team has strengthened relationships and yielded immediate results. Flexible funding from the Town has been critical in addressing the needs of those experiencing homelessness. Furthermore, the Town launched a Homelessness and Housing Instability webpage to highlight connections already in place and reinforce the work happening on the ground.
For more information about the GRCoC, visit our website and read the latest Annual Report.
