This page uses extracted PDF text. Text can misread numbers, dates or table columns. Check the PDF before quoting or interpreting it. Redacted areas remain redacted.
20
CR-25 - Homeless and Other Special Needs 91.220(d, e); 91.320(d, e); 91.520(c)
Evaluate the jurisdiction’s progress in meeting its specific objectives for
reducing and ending homelessness through: Reaching out to homeless persons
(especially unsheltered persons) and assessing their individual needs.
The Greater Virginia Peninsula Homelessness Consortium (GVPHC) membership includes approximately 12
agencies that are considered Access Points to assess the needs of homeless households and connect them with
further resources. The City of Newport News established a Day Service Center with case management, job skills,
transportation, on-site support from outside agencies such as the VA, and housing assistance. Additionally,
there are dedicated outreach workers who intentionally visit places where they can meet and assess persons
experiencing homelessness. Housing First, and other best practices are implemented by the GVPHC agencies
as they work to decrease the number of people who become homeless, as well as the length of time they
experience homelessness, including:
● Implementation of a Coordinated Entry System – the Service Coordination and Assessment Network
(SCAAN)
● Establishment of a Housing Crisis Hotline and a Day Service Center;
● Utilization of a universal assessment tool to prioritize households by vulnerability;
● Implementation of the Housing First model by all housing providers;
● Removing barriers to enter shelter and housing programs;
● Increasing participation and coverage in the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS);
● Prioritizing the development and expansion of permanent supportive and rapid rehousing units
(a total of 610 in 2024).
An annual street and shelter count is conducted every January in order to identify and engage homeless
households and those at risk of homelessness. In January 2024 in the city of Newport News, 184 persons were
identified as experiencing homelessness, compared to 306 persons counted in the previous year - a 40%
decrease. All but 12 were residing in a shelter program.
83% of those counted were Single Adults while the remaining 17% were persons in families. The total of
chronically homeless individuals counted in 2024 was 37, a decrease of 2 persons from those counted in 2023
Addressing the emergency shelter and transitional housing needs of homeless persons
In the past year, 1,213 year-round beds and an additional 200 seasonal beds during the winter months were
dedicated for persons experiencing homelessness. This inventory is a reduction of 267 beds from the previous
year’s total of 1,480. Much of this can be attributed to the availability of VASH beds, as well as a reduction in
Emergency Housing Vouchers created as a result of the pandemic.
Of the 412 persons identified as homeless, 342 persons (83%) were sheltered in emergency shelter programs
with 20 in Transitional Housing. Of those persons sheltered, 50% were sheltered in Newport News. Shelter andJump to an indexed page (39 of 39)