1. Ending Family Homelessness
Kelly King Horne, Executive Director
Homeward

2. Greater Richmond Continuum of Care (Virginia)
Established in 1997
Homeward was created in 1998 to facilitate the CoC funding program
More than $4.5 million in HUD funds targeted to homelessness each year; $1.6 million in state funds
2017 PIT = 662 (down from 1150 in & 2009)
Region = approx. 1.3 million individuals (560K households)
Poverty rate > 20%
AMI= $69K
Map retrieved from

3. Before Housing First: “You don’t understand; our folks need us.”
Emergency shelters for women and children
Fathers & boys 12+ years old were separated from their families
Many transitional housing program for mothers with children who were interested in services
Median stay in TH approximately 9 months
Cost per household could be as high as $35,000 for one year
Waiting list for shelters
Partnership with public housing was the primary housing intervention (only for City residents)

4. Turning Point: record #’s of children in summer point-in-time count (2007)

5. Making Changes Strategically
All family transitional housing providers changed their program model (voluntarily)
One Rapid re-housing & closed congregate site
One Rapid re-housing & became emergency shelter
One  PSH & added rapid re-housing program
DV agencies also adopted rapid re- housing model
Two other emergency shelters for households with children
Focus on quality of RRH
Emphasis on capacity-building
Public funding aligned and many private funders fill gaps or fund supportive services and innovations
Cost savings and increases in the number of households housed

6. Beyond Rapid re-housing
Phone-based access
Partnership development & governance to make difficult decisions
Emphasis on diversion and problem-solving conversations
Engaged partners serving survivors of domestic & sexual violence
Developing strategies for unsheltered families & families in motels

7. What’s next?
Homeless services system needs support from mainstream partners
Households with higher barriers and more intensive needs
Need to develop service partnerships with public sector (child welfare & mental health)
Develop self-resolution strategies to help households with children connect to supports and find housing
Right-size resources for households with and without children