The Faces of Charlottesville’s Homelessness Dilemma
Rachel Mayo’s hands were shaking slightly as she rested against a concrete wall outside of Zocolo. Last March, she and her husband were evicted from their home, and with nowhere else to go, moved to the streets. Mayo stays in Charlottesville because she feels it is the easiest place to be homeless.
“Everybody takes care of each other,” said Mayo about the homeless population in the city. Unfortunately, she is not an anomaly, and this is the reality for many other men and women living on the streets of Charlottesville today.
Housing instability currently threatens the lives of nearly 400 Charlottesville residents. According to the Haven, a center for the homeless in Charlottesville, there are an estimated 185 homeless people living on the streets today, 107 who have been placed into stable housing and another 106 at risk of losing their homes.
The director of the Haven, Stephen Hitchcock, said there are two types of intervention for the homeless, temporary shelters and permanent housing. Temporary shelters, such as the Salvation Army, offer communal rooms with showers and warm beds. Unfortunately, these shelters are often overcrowded, restrictive and inaccessible to many. Possibly the greatest issue is that shelters treat the symptom of homelessness, but never reach the source.
Hitchcock feels the solution to homelessness is housing. The goal is to get people off the streets permanently and programs such as Rapid Re-Housing are trying to accomplish this. Since April 2015, the program has placed 50 individuals into permanent homes. The screening process assesses applicants based on their medical vulnerability and assigns them a risk level according to the severity of their condition. In the end, the more vulnerable people are, the more opportunities they have for help.
Despite its many successes, hundreds of men and women are left on the street because they are not a high enough risk.
Robert Heisten, 45, of Luray, VA, has been homeless for 21 months and applied for housing numerous times. When asked why he came to Charlottesville, Heisten said, “People come to Charlottesville to get help.”
Charlottesville is widely recognized for its efforts to improve the living conditions of the homeless. The city offers a host of opportunities, and at its epicenter, is the Haven.
The Haven is not an overnight shelter. It is considered a Low Barrier Day Shelter, meaning they do not screen for drugs or breathalyze people coming in, which is a practice that deters many homeless from staying in shelters.
The Haven offers services such as shower and laundry facilities, internet access, and a place to store belongings and receive mail. It also serves as the hub for many of the homeless programs and services in the Charlottesville area. Organizations such as the Thomas Jefferson Area Coalition for the Homeless (TJAC) have offices in the building.
TJAC provides many crucial services, one of which is the Annual Point and Time Count. This survey provides the statistical facts of homelessness in Charlottesville. Educational level is one statistic collected by TJAC to determine demographics of the homeless population. According to TJAC, approximately 24% do not have a high school education, 30% have a high school diploma or GED, 34% have some college experience, and 12% have a bachelor’s degree or more.
James, a 58 year-old Charlottesville native, has a bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences from the University of Albany and has his own apartment. When asked why he sits on street corners asking for money, James said, “I love meetingpeople.”
Walking by James, one would never know his actual situation. That is true for many homeless seen on sidewalks, at intersections or on the Downtown Mall. The homeless situation in Charlottesville is a serious issue and requires a tremendous amount of work to alleviate.
Thankfully, there are many men and women who dedicate their lives to the improvement of those living on the streets. One such individual is Hitchcock. Hitchcock knows the homeless situation in Charlottesville as well as any. Though faced with a herculean task, he remains optimistic.
Hitchcock said, “C’ville feels like it has a large homeless situation because it’s visible, but, in reality, 185 is a number we can handle.”
