BEACH Community Partnership Blog

The City of Virginia Beach and the BEACH Community Partnership will conduct the annual Point-in-Time Count of people who are experiencing homelessness the last week of January. In coordination with the count, Project Homeless Connect will also be held to provide supportive services and resources to homeless families and individuals. Volunteers are needed to help with both events. Point-in-Time Count: Wednesday, Jan. 27, from 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Volunteers will be part of a team assigned to one of the four police precincts in Virginia Beach to help count and administer a survey to homeless persons living on the streets. Project Homeless Connect: Thursday, Jan. 28, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Open Door Chapel, 3177 Virginia Beach Blvd. Volunteer shifts are from 7 to 11 a.m. and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Volunteers will help with a variety of activities (i.e., set-up/clean-up, registration, guides, administering surveys, handing out supplies and food, etc.). To volunteer, regist

Are you someone who is in recovery or formerly homeless and passionate about serving others within your community?  If so, the City of Virginia Beach Department of Housing and Neighborhood Preservation is seeking a part-time contractual Outreach Worker to work varying hours between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Sunday, for a maximum of 25 hours per week.   The selected person will be employed by the Abacus Corporation, an employment agency, and assigned to the Housing and Neighborhood Preservation's Housing Development division.   As part of a team, this position is responsible for seeking out and identifying homeless persons wherever they are in the city and assisting them to access services. This position will spend most of their time in the field working to identify homeless persons living in places not suitable for human habitation. The successful candidate will engage homeless persons through outreach activities, conduct face-to-face interviews to determine appr

City Participates in National Initiative to End Veteran Homelessness Mayor William D. Sessoms, Jr. announced on Veterans Day that nearly 300 homeless veterans in South Hampton Roads are now either housed or on their way to housing thanks to a regional effort to end veteran homelessness. In Virginia Beach alone, 157 homeless veterans now have or will have a place to call home. The mayor made the special announcement during the Tidewater Veterans Day parade and ceremony in Virginia Beach. “No city wants to see anyone homeless. No city especially wants to see any veteran homeless knowing what our veterans have done for us over the years to make sure we have such a great life,” said Mayor Sessoms. “For years, we’ve been working hard to identify homeless veterans. I’m happy to say we’ve teamed up with neighboring cities to make sure that every veteran who is homeless will be housed by November 11.” The city and regional effort was part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Challenge to End

Donations Part of $1 Million Fundraising Campaign Two years ago, the Virginia Beach City Council adopted an ambitious plan to end homelessness. A major part of that plan is building a Housing Resource Center, with day services for homeless people, temporary emergency shelter and community services to prevent homelessness. Recently, congregants at two Virginia Beach churches made substantial contributions to move that plan closer to reality. On Sunday, July 12, the congregation at Beach Fellowship Church donated $130,000 to help support operations at the center. The previous week, the congregation at Wave Church donated $50,000 for the same purpose. “Virginia Beach is fortunate to have so many compassionate and generous citizens,” Mayor William D. Sessoms, Jr. said. “The members of Beach Fellowship Church and Wave Church are truly caring folks. I can’t thank them enough.” The city will build the three-story, $39 million Housing Resource Cent

The Oceanfront Outreach peer specialists, also known as the Pinkies, were one of six recipients to receive a human rights award during the 21st Annual Human Rights Awards Program on April 29. Recipients were selected by members of the Virginia Beach Human Rights Commission based on their efforts to promote cultural diversity, social awareness and human rights in our community.  The Oceanfront Initiative, which was launched as a pilot program in July 2014, is designed to enhance outreach to individuals experiencing homelessness who are at the Oceanfront. During the pilot program, six peer outreach specialists, contracted through the Judeo-Christian Outreach Center and under the supervision of the Virginia Beach Department of Human Services, provided a presence at “hot spots” on the boardwalk during the week. The peer specialists, or Pinkies, worked in collaboration with the Virginia Beach Police Department. They provided emergency assistance such as food and clothing and assertivel

VB FEST (Virginia Beach Family Emergency Shelter Team) will be housing homeless in area assigned churches from June 9 through August 19. Contact Connection Point if you need assistance. If you would like more information about this program contact: Kay Bess at Kaymbess@gmail.com . 

Click image for larger view or  Spring/Summer Virginia Beach Family Newsletter

100+ Homeless Veterans in South Hampton Roads Housed During 100 Day Challenge I n alignment with the federal goal, the Commonwealth of Virginia and South Hampton Roads cities have committed to ending veteran homelessness by the end of 2015. Last September, the City of Virginia Beach joined the Cities of Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Suffolk, and Western Tidewater, in the 100 Day Challenge to kick off this initiative. The initial goal was to house 125 homeless veterans in South Hampton Roads by Jan. 30, 2015. By the end of the 100 Day Challenge, the South Hampton Roads region not only met the goal, but it also exceeded it, housing or in the process of housing a total of 137 homeless veterans, including 38 veterans from Virginia Beach. As part of the effort, housing agencies and service providers attended intensive training and worked together to develop a process for identifying and assessing the most vulnerable homeless veterans in South Hampton Roads. Housing opportunitie