UWGW Launches New Permanent Housing Program
After a successful pilot that spans two years, the United Way of Greater Williamsburg (UWGW) is launching a new housing initiative. Called Home for Good, this new program will provide needed tools and resources to homeless families in the Greater Williamsburg community, enabling them to move from precarious housing situations like hotels and motels to permanent housing. Home for Good will provide rental qualification, rent subsidies, and case management to families with a goal of helping them establish independent and stable lives. A permanent housing program of this scope is the first of its kind in Williamsburg.
“Home for Good creates an opportunity to improve the housing conditions of low-income and working populations in the Greater Williamsburg community,” says Sharon Gibson-Ellis, executive director of the United Way of Greater Williamsburg. “We’ve been actively testing this model in the community for two years with much success and we’re ready to expand its scope to benefit even more insecurely housed families.”
In 2014, the UWGW Board of Directors identified homelessness and housing insecurity as a persistent human service need in the Greater Williamsburg community. Last month, the UWGW Board of Directors authorized more than $450,000 for the Home for Good initiative over three years to offer a way out of homelessness for families struggling in the community. The UWGW Board and leadership hope this investment will provide for a comprehensive and longer-term solution to those needing housing support. Board President Jake Liebler stressed the unique opportunity for UWGW to provide direct services to combat a pressing and persistent issue in the community.
“Home for Good is a natural extension of the United Way mission which has evolved from simply a funder and collaborator, and a direct provider of emergency services,” Liebler adds. “We are now looking to use our resources and community partnerships to develop long term solutions for community challenges where we know we can impact real change.”
The homeless population in Greater Williamsburg may not be entirely visible but data shows that Greater Williamsburg, like many communities nationwide, faces housing and homelessness challenges. In January 2015, the Greater Virginia Peninsula Homelessness Consortium Point in Time Count reported 90 homeless individuals in James City County and 39 in the City of Williamsburg. Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools reported 425 students as either homeless or precariously housed (unsheltered, transitional housing program, doubled up, or living in a hotel) in the 2014-2015 school year, slightly up from 421 students in the 2013-2014 school year. From His Hands, a local faith organization dedicated to delivering meals to families living in local hotels, delivers on average, 547 meals each month to families in three local hotels.
“To the best of our knowledge, there are as many as 129 homeless persons in our community and likely several hundred households living in hotels,” says Gibson-Ellis.
Home for Good is a permanent housing program which means that residents will have the opportunity to remain in their rental unit after graduating from the Home for Good program. UWGW estimates that the program will serve up to 45 households once operations are fully implemented.
Housing services currently provided in the Greater Williamsburg community, including services provided by the United Way Community Resource Center (CRC), are largely focused on emergency and transitional housing with limited resources for permanent housing programs. The United Way has been working with two local landlords over the past two years to implement and test a pilot permanent housing program.
“After working in emergency and transitional housing, a permanent housing program is the next logical step to better serve our community,” said Gibson-Ellis. “The pilot permanent housing venture has been largely successful with nine families currently stabilized and living in rental properties supplied at a discount by partner landlords.”
UWGW currently works with community partners including James City County Housing and Social Services, Salvation Army, City of Williamsburg Human Services, Housing Partnerships, Williamsburg Estate Services, King of Glory volunteers, and AAAA Storage to leverage resources and better serve the homeless and precariously housed populations. UWGW will continue to work with community partners to leverage resources and provide comprehensive housing services through the Home for Good program. Board approval and funding for Home for Good will significantly expand the successful pilot permanent housing program, with United Way as the anchor organization, so that more families in our community can have the opportunity to move from hotel living and precarious housing situations to permanent homes.
Community members wanting to get involved can provide support to Home for Good in a variety of ways. Donors may give directly to the Home for Good program through the United Way; volunteers can contribute their time by helping with moving and furnishing housing units; and advocates can encourage their friends, neighbors, local landlords, and local government to support permanent housing efforts in the Greater Williamsburg community. Anyone interested in learning more about Home for Good can contact the UWGW administrative offices at 757-253-2264.