Virginia announces new public-private partnership to reduce homelessness for children and their families

December 6, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — A State and federal initiative will help communities improve the availability of affordable housing for children and their families experiencing homelessness by increasing the provision of rapid re-housing. Rapid re-housing is a proven solution to homelessness for children and their families. It permanently ends homelessness and is often more cost-efficient than current programs.

The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development has partnered with the Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness and the National Alliance to End Homelessness for the new initiative aimed at meeting the Governor’s goal of reducing homelessness by 15 percent for children and their families in urban, suburban, and rural communities across the Commonwealth. The new initiative, sponsored by the Freddie Mac Foundation, was announced in conjunction with the Governor’s Housing Conference. The City of Norfolk will participate through the Office to End Homelessness.

Public forums are being held throughout the commonwealth for business, non-profit, public sector and faith-based organizations. Norfolk’s forum is Dec. 6 from 2 – 4 p.m. at Pretlow Library, 111 W. Ocean View Avenue.

Homelessness among Virginia’s children and their families was decreasing until 2008 when the financial downturn struck. High rates of unemployment and poverty have contributed to higher rates of homelessness in Virginia, “Rapid Re-Housing is a strategy that has been successfully used by many communities to reduce rates of homelessness,” stated Nan Roman, President and CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness. “Research shows that most households experience homelessness as a result of a financial crisis that prevents them from paying rent, or a domestic conflict that results in one member being ejected or leaving with no money to pay for housing. Most households who experience homelessness today have already lived in their own housing, and they can generally return and remain stably housed.”

The initiative will aim to replicate the work of other communities from across the nation in using rapid re-housing to reduce homelessness for children and their families. It will build on the experiences of Virginia’s communities in delivering rapid re-housing and will specifically focus on identifying and implementing solutions to move children and their families out of emergency shelter and into their own homes.

Sarah Paige Fuller, Director of the City of Norfolk Office to End Homelessness, said, “we are excited about the opportunity to partner and participate in this initiative which will help us enhance our practices in effectively managing our rapid re-housing activities, It is critical to ensure that our case managers have access to training in best practices and efficient use of resources to benefit homeless families facing dire and vulnerable circumstances.”

Fuller also added that, “this is only one part of the solution, and as a community, we will need to work together to find the financial resources needed to fund the rapid re-housing activities, Many public entities and service providers are facing budget shortfalls – and our families are struggling as well – unfortunately resulting in homelessness.”

“There is no better time than now to prioritize ending homelessness for children and their families,” stated Phyllis Chamberlain, Executive Director of the Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness. “We know that homeless children are four times more likely to experience delayed development, twice as likely to have learning disabilities, and three times as likely to experience emotional and behavioral problems, and have higher rates of anxiety, depression, and withdrawal. The time is now to ensure that Virginia’s children have the opportunity for bright futures through stable housing.”

For more information on the initiative, visit http://www.vceh.org/rapid-re-housing