RADFORD, Va. – Homelessness in the New River Valley is sometimes considered an invisible problem. But for the people experiencing it, it is all too real.
New River Community Action tries to make people experiencing homelessness feel seen. That’s why Casey Edmonds, homeless and housing programs director, helped create the Rehab2Rehouse program.
“They want to be here, and they’re not completely reminded on a daily basis or on a moment-by-moment basis what their situation is like,” Edmonds said.
The Rehab2Rehouse initiative is an offshoot of their larger ‘To Our House’ shelter program.
While that program works as a normal overnight homeless shelter, the Rehab2Rehouse program took two cottage-style houses and renovated them for 24/7 shelter.
“This is for the elderly and disabled that due to health concerns, may not be a good fit to be out into the environment or in the weather during the day,” Edmonds said.
The cottages are both single occupancy and completely renovated for this purpose. First Baptist Church in Radford owns and offered up the buildings. Reverend Diana Farrell White says this project is close to her heart.
“This is more invisible in a college neighborhood because most people are on their feet walking. And it’s hard to tell the difference between someone going to work, someone going to school and someone who’s experiencing homelessness,” Farrell White said.
The goal is to give people experiencing homelessness a place to get back on their feet.
“It’s unreasonable to expect people to go and pull themselves up by their bootstraps they might not even own if they don’t have a place to rest their heads. If they don’t have food to eat, if they don’t have all the necessities that we often take for granted,” Farrell White said.
They work intensively with a case manager to work on budgeting and job skills. Nearby Pastor Morris Fleischer works closely with New River Community Action and says it sets its sights on the future.
“Start looking beyond the next 24 to 48 hours of just survival needs to start thinking about finishing up that licensure in a trade or finishing up maybe getting a GED or moving perhaps in a new direction in their life,” Fleischer said.
There are only two cottages for now, but they hope to expand in the future.