BEACH Community Partnership Blog

The Lighthouse Center, which provides day support services for homeless individuals and is located at 825 18th St., will be closed July 1 - 10. This closure is necessary to facilitate a transition of staff and equipment from the prior operator, Volunteers of America, to the City of Virginia Beach Department of Housing & Neighborhood Preservation, which will now operate the services at the center. Staff will work to inform those who use the center about the closure and the options available during this time. The city will reopen the day support service center and resume operations on Monday, July 11. The center's regular business hours will be Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, please call the day support service center at (757) 437-4911.

City's Central Call Center Transferring to New Provider The City of Virginia Beach will have limited homeless referral services between June 30 and July 14 as its central call center transitions to a new provider.  Citizens who need to access emergency housing and homeless services in Virginia Beach during this time can call (757) 437-4911, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to noon. Please note that the city will be closed on July 4 in observance of Independence Day and will be unavailable to take calls. Beginning July 15, the referral center, known as Connection Point, will be referred to as the Regional Housing Crisis Hotline. It can be accessed at (757) 227-5932. The new call center will continue to be the single point of contact to streamline the homeless referral and assessment process. Families and individuals who are literally homeless will be connected to a case manager with the city's Department of Housing & Neighborhood Preservation and a...

The City of Virginia Beach Department of Housing & Neighborhood Preservation seeks three dynamic and committed people to join the department’s Coordinated Assessment Team:  2 - Housing Specialist I (Homeless Programs Case Managers)  1 - Housing Specialist II (Coordinated Assessment Team Lead)   Together this team is responsible for coordinating and implementing all aspects of the Coordinated Assessment and Referral process for homeless persons and those at risk of homelessness who are seeking services at the Day Support Center, as well as those referred for housing assistance from the Call Center. This team will also provide services to homeless individuals at the Day Support Center.  For more information about these positions and to apply, visit  www.vbcareers4gov.com .  Close date: June 1 3 , 2016.  The City of Virginia Beach is an EOE. Qualified Section 3 Residents (low- and very-low income persons) residing in the Virginia Be...

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...

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...