RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — “What about the children?” are the words of Richmond advocates who fear the area’s most vulnerable have been left behind by the city’s recent efforts to open two new shelters for the unhoused this winter.
One of the new shelters — located on North 2nd Street — is for families with children, but those families in need can’t just walk up to the shelter for direct, immediate help. They have to call and be processed through the system prior to admission.
On Monday, Dec. 11, central Virginia saw its first snow of the season. Local advocates — like Virginia NAACP’s Housing Chair, Tracey Hardney-Scott — worry they’re fighting against time.
“It did not feel good, once again, going home to a warm house knowing that there were families and the primarily children that were out there in the street,” Hardney-Scott said.
Hardney-Scott can’t help but think about those forced to bear the harsh winter temperatures. She said, in recent weeks, her inbox has been flooded with concerns about families with children who have not been able to access HomeAgain’s newly opened, 50-bed shelter in the city.
Unlike its 150-bed counterpart down the street on Chamberlayne Avenue, which serves 18-year-olds and older, it doesn’t accept walk-ins. Intake has to be done through the Greater Richmond Continuum of Care (GRCoC). According to Hardney-Scott, the facility can only accept mothers and children, so sometimes families have to separate.
“What happens if they don’t have a phone?” Hardney-Scott asked. “If their phone is disconnected or if they don’t have anywhere to charge their phone?”
A GRCoC spokesperson explained that the system currently serves 24 families in other shelters across the area — a total of 95 people. The spokesperson said that since last Monday, nine families with children have been referred to emergency shelters. Families are admitted on urgency’s basis as spaces open up.
At this point, it’s not formally confirmed if any children are on record without access to a shelter. However, Hardney-Scott shared a story about a situation she and her team saw in the past.
“We’ve had babies as young as two months old that had to be placed,” Hardney-Scott said. “People took up a collection and were able to put that mother and her child in a hotel.”
Previously, City of Richmond officials acknowledged the ongoing housing crisis and the need for more long-term, permanent solutions, but as winter rages on and snow begins to fall, Hardney-Scott said her team has talked with local organizations, city officials and representatives to hasten the process.
“We are in the season of giving and compassion,” the advocate explained. “We’re not only calling on the city. How about some of our churches? Or some of our business? This is an all-hands-on deck situation.”
City officials and community advocates have had discussions about how to mitigate these concerns. A team told 8News that finances and staffing have been cited as primary hold-ups, but people like Hardney-Scott are continuing to band together to find solutions.
A GRCoC spokesperson shared the following statement with 8News:
“The GRCoC system continues to serve families with children experiencing homelessness. If someone is experiencing homelessness, the first step should be to call the Homeless Connection Line at 804-972-0813. The HCL is prioritizing families staying outdoors as urgent. All families that have called the HCL have spoken with a Diversion Specialist and the HCL continues to return all messages each day the calls are received or within 24 hours.”
