NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — Findings from the Virginia Peninsula Regional Homelessness study show that perhaps the top cause of homelessness in the region is the lack of affordable housing.
Other causes of homelessness can be drug and alcohol addictions, as well as unemployment levels. Bottom line, Newport News officials recognize homelessness is rising.
“It has no boundaries,” said Newport News Assistant City Manager Ginger Blount-Moore. “Homelessness is not a Newport News problem, it’s not a York County problem, it is a regional effort.”
“Homelessness, though, is increasing,” Viam Advising Principal Consultant Jonathan Danforth said.
Jonathan Danforth said many are working against rising rent costs. In one of the studies, the median rent in 2019 in Newport News was around $1,000 per month. It’s now over $1,500. Plus there are other factors making it hard for many to get ahead.
“A lot of the housing that was here was from the military, and are built for the military,” said one community member.
“I’m also disabled and I’m a senior citizen, [and] there’s no category for me to fit in, so I’m homeless,” said another community member.
Outcries like that are fueling the city’s search for solutions, one of which is to build affordable housing, and the other, the need for local shelters and nonprofits to work together.
“Our goal really is to make sure homelessness is rare, brief and non re-occurring,” Blount-Moore said.
Community feedback from Thursday’s meeting will be compiled and go towards the final findings, which will be presented at a later meeting.
For more information on the city of Newport News homelessness and community initiatives, click here.