HomeAgain

Since 1980, HomeAgain has been working to end homelessness in the Richmond region. HomeAgain achieves its mission through the work of 5 program areas, all with the “housing first” philosophy as their foundation. HomeAgain is an active and vital member of Richmond’s Continuum of Care for the Homeless, providing essential services that help the community achieve critical outcomes toward ending homelessness. This year, HomeAgain participated in challenge to house 100 persons experiencing homelessness in the community this past winter. HomeAgain housed 44 individuals during that 3-month time period from December 2014 through February 2015. This demonstrates HomeAgain’s commitment to ending homelessness.

Our crisis housing program consists of two emergency shelters –the Espigh Family Shelter and the Men’s Emergency Shelter, and one transitional housing facility for veterans experiencing homelessness. The purpose of these facilities is to get families and individuals experiencing homelessness off the street and into a safe dwelling and quickly work to secure permanent rental housing them. The Espigh Family Shelter, which is the focus of this proposal, is a 27-bed facility that served 213 persons last fiscal year. It is the only shelter of its kind in the Richmond Region, serving all families of any composition for a maximum of 45 days per homeless episode. A core component of the program is our work with children. HomeAgain works to reduce the negative impact that homelessness can have on children. Through the work of a child services coordinator, the program works to keep children of homeless families in their schools of origin and provides targeted case management aimed at uncovering and addressing the trauma experienced by children due to homelessness. In addition, In addition, HomeAgain has a room at the Family Shelter designated for use by children. It is a place where kids can experience a sense of normalcy despite the crisis of homelessness. This room filled with toys and books, is also a place for therapuetic interventions for children when needed. In addition to homelessness, hunger is a pressing issue for the majority of the families served by HomeAgain. Often, families come to the shelters with only the clothes on their backs and little or no income. HomeAgain works with faith-based and civic organizations to feed families who are without food. HomeAgain also provides meals to families each evening. Also, through intense case management, HomeAgain connects families to needed community resources and benefits programs such as SNAPS and others.

In addition, The Men’s Emergency Shelter, a 26 bed facility, provides crisis housing to 20 single adult men and 6 transitional housing beds that serve as overflow beds for our veterans Transitional Housing Program. Single adults continue to constitute the majority of persons experiencing homelessness and single adult men tend to have the highest number and most critical list of housing barriers and hunger is also a huge problem. Volunteers invest time and resources to assist us in feeding the men at our shelter.

Ending Veterans Homelessness is a goal for the Richmond Homeless Provider Community this year and HomeAgain’s Transitional Housing for Homeless Veterans Program is a critical tool needed to achieve this goal. This 20-bed facility is the largest transitional housing program for veterans in the Region. Currently, veterans can stay up to two years. This will change soon due to both HomeAgain’s and the Veteran Administration’s commitment to rapid rehousing. This program provides both shelter and case management designed to prepare veterans for independent living in the rental market.

HomeAgain also administers two scattered site programs –The InRich Rapid Rehousing Program for families that works to intercept families who would be on the street and place them in rental housing. This program also works with families who are sheltered. Through this program, HomeAgain provides intensive case management, landlord cultivation and rental assistance designed to remove barriers to and quickly return homeless families to permanent housing. In addition, the Permanent Supportive Housing Program is a leasing program designed to end homelessness in families who have one or more adult members with a disability. Funded by HUD, leases for this program are in HomeAgain’s name. The program provides a long-term housing option for people with disabilities.