Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø is forming a task force to seek solutions to homelessness, adding to ongoing assistance efforts for people facing the difficulties of living without housing.
Mayor Joe Cobb is calling it the Hope and Home Task Force. During a meeting Monday, the city council approved Cobb’s proposal to form the 20-person citizen group.
“Ultimately, our goal is to house as many people as we possibly can,†Cobb said. “And to figure out what those barriers and obstacles are.â€
Already, the city’s Homeless Assistance Team works on outreach and case management services. Also, the Blue Ridge Continuum of Care takes a regional approach to ending homelessness.
“If we were just working with citizens in Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø who are experiencing homelessness, it probably wouldn’t feel as daunting,†Cobb said. “Because our homeless service providers are centered in Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø, we have a number of people that come to Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø to access those services. A little under 50% come from other communities.â€
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Homeless populations are counted twice each year in Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø. Cobb said the most recent point-in-time count, conducted in January, showed mixed results about the number of homeless and unsheltered people in the region.
“Prior to COVID, we had seen a 60% reduction in homelessness in the city and in the region,†Cobb said. “Since COVID, for a number of reasons, we’ve seen an increase.â€
In the Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø region, 389 people were homeless when the count was conducted Jan. 22, published by the Council of Community Services. It’s an overall decrease in total homelessness, but the number of people who were living unsheltered increased.
“This year’s 3.2% decrease represents a stabilization after two years of significant increases,†the report said. “The lack of affordable housing and the underfunding of services and resources continue to be the primary challenges in our region’s ability to effectively respond to homelessness.â€
Rising rent is a primary cause of new homelessness, city officials said last year. Localities elsewhere in the state and country are also contending with similar homeless population increases, spurred by the same causes.
“In 2024 there were 7,141 individuals counted as homeless in Virginia during a 24-hour count taken in January by localities statewide,†the report said. “This represents an increase of 5.6% over those counted in 2023.â€
The city council is giving the new task force a 12- to 18-month window to submit recommendations. It’ll take a few months to get the group up and running, Cobb said.
“My hope is that we’ll have recommendations much sooner than that,†Cobb said. “There’s an eagerness in the community to do this.â€
Cobb said the task force will meet publicly, and include citizens and local experts in the sector.
“We want to learn from other communities,†Cobb said. “What are some strategies that maybe we haven’t tried here locally?â€
Cobb said the city council is looking for sustainable, long-lasting and actionable steps, similar to recommendations provided by the city’s Gun Violence Prevention Commission.
“I’d like to see a reduction in the panhandling that we’re seeing, that’s a really tangible sign,†Cobb said. “One of the stigmas that we have to work through is that everyone who is homeless is a criminal. We know that’s not true.â€
Cobb said the overall aim is to see fewer people experiencing homelessness, and to get them placed in homes that will help them toward long-term recovery.
“The goal is we don’t want anyone to return to homelessness,†Cobb said.
