As winter temperatures drop, Roanoke’s network of existing homeless services has helped reduce the region’s homeless population by 3.2%, while a new task force develops plans for future initiatives.

Miriam’s House announced Monday that it plans to convert its building at 409 Magnolia Street into a dedicated emergency shelter for families with children facing homelessness.

Fishwick and Associates Law Firm owner John Fishwick says that by invoking the Home Rule Act - which was initially signed into law under the Richard Nixon administration - President Donald Trump and the federal government have full control of D.C.’s law enforcement.

The Hope and Home Task Force will examine data and investigate possible resource gaps in finding the best solutions to the issue.

The “Mayor’s Hope and Home Task Force” would develop “comprehensive, actionable and measurable” solutions to the issues of homelessness in the community.

Family Promise of Greater Roanoke is helping homeless families in the Roanoke area get into permanent housing with a $20,000 grant Clayton Homes gave the group in January.

Roanoke Police are working with service providers in the city to help meet the needs of the homeless population.

Leaders in Pulaski are working to find new ways to assist those in the town without a permanent place to stay.

Recently, leaders from the Town of Pulaski and Pulaski County met to discuss the pressing issue of homelessness affecting the area.

Suites by TLOT is celebrating one year since it opened its doors to offer people experiencing homelessness a place to sleep.

Homelessness in Roanoke has been a concern for many residents, including business owners.

The “Gateway Project” - a project that is designed to tackle Roanoke’s affordable housing issues - will be presented to the Roanoke City Council today for a public hearing.

A new affordable housing project in Roanoke is moving forward.

The Least of These Ministry, also known as TLOT, is seeing an increase in the number of people it serves, and it could use your help.

402 people experienced homelessness in the Roanoke region, according to the Blue Ridge Continuum of Care’s Winter 2024 Point in Time Report.

The Fralin Free Clinic is expanding its services for the homeless and people experiencing homelessness with its new mobile outreach unit.

Roanoke City schools are addressing the challenges faced by over 600 homeless students by providing essential support and stability.

According to the 2024 Point in Time report, homelessness is growing in the Roanoke Valley.

The New River Community Action is moving locations in Radford. Now for the first time, all of its programs are available under one roof.

The Rescue Mission of Roanoke serves hundreds of people each day by offering shelter, food and addiction recovery services.

Millions of Americans face the risk of homelessness due to financial instability. A couple staying at the Roanoke Rescue Mission shares their struggles with finding affordable housing and their gratitude for receiving free haircuts before their wedding.

The Roanoke Rescue Mission will be keeping cool going into the spring and summer thanks to a new HVAC unit donation.

The "Home Safe" program in the City of Roanoke aims to tackle homelessness by providing crucial support and resources to those in need.

A deadly fire that ripped through a Southwest Roanoke home killed one man and left ten people homeless. Some of the tenants were experiencing homelessness not too long ago.

After months of work, founder of The Least of These Ministry, Dawn Sandoval, cut the ribbon on her new housing model “Suites by TLOT” for people experiencing homelessness.

Suites by TLOT opened its doors today with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 1 p.m.

The RAM House in Roanoke announced it purchased a new building to expand.

She's International Boutique is collecting resources for people experiencing homelessness until Feb. 16.

The Roanoke Rescue Mission is seeing a 30% increase in people staying at the shelter as the U.S. homeless population hit a record high.

FRAME spent the day Saturday giving out meals, clothes and haircuts.

On Nov. 25, the non-profit will host a Thanksgiving dinner for homeless veterans.

Renovations to change the old Apple Valley Motel into affordable housing for people experiencing homelessness are underway.

'To Our House,' is a program run by New River Community Action, giving people experiencing homelessness a place to warm up, and a place to start getting them back on their feet.

One Roanoke group is working on a solution to turn a former motel into a new housing model.

The RAM House and the Rescue Mission are adjusting the way they serve guests to help keep people experiencing homelessness safe and cool this summer.

According to the latest Point-In-Time Count, the number of people experiencing homelessness in the Roanoke Valley has gone up.

Homelessness continues to be a growing issue across the Commonwealth.

Roanoke City leaders gathered Sunday to get input from the public on homelessness.

President Joe Biden's administration is making a new push to reduce homelessness.

Homelessness in the Roanoke Valley has been on the rise over the past couple of months, specifically people who are considered unsheltered.

A growing concern in the city as more people experiencing homelessness in Roanoke turn to panhandling, specifically at the corner of Williamson Road and Orange Avenue.

The organization was awarded $1,991,554 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The goal is to assist 245 people over the next five years.

Homelessness in the Roanoke Valley is a problem that is in plain sight when looking around our community.

The Lynchburg Area Veterans Council announced Tuesday that they won a $10,000 grant from the Homes for Heroes Foundation.

In a letter to Virginia’s Department of Housing and Community Development dated Feb. 24th, Lyn-CAG’s president and CEO Treney Tweedy cited operation and facility concerns about the building constructed in 1850.

The Lynchburg Area Veterans Council is one of three national finalists to win a $10,000 grant from the Homes for Heroes Foundation – and need your vote to help them win.

There could soon be an influx of homeless people looking for emergency shelter because of a new proposed ordinance in Roanoke that would ban sleeping on sidewalks.

The CDC eviction moratorium has been providing financial aid to households impacted by COVID-19. The federal program was extended multiple times during the pandemic, but is set to expire.

ROANOKE, Va. – Homelessness is on the rise in Virginia. Newly released data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development found a 3% increase from 2019 to 2020 for those experiencing homelessness on a single night. Nationally, it’s up 2.2%; however, in the Roanoke Valley trends are plunging. “Really focus on who we’re targeting with those resources, I think has really had an impact,” said Roanoke City’s Human Services Administrator Matt Crookshank. Crookshank said that nationally homelessness may spike, but in the Roanoke Valley, it might not be as bad as you’d expect.

Ending involuntary homelessness by 2035 is the goal for one advocacy group. On Friday, researchers focused on the factors that go into homelessness, particularly for children. It’s associated with increased secondary educational attainment. It’s associated with prevention of early pregnancy and parenthood,” said Dr. Amy Dworsky with the University of Chicago. According to the group, Times for Homes, a fifth of children live in poverty in America.

LYNCHBURG, Va. – Miriam’s House is distributing ‘blessing bags’ to those who are less fortunate. Sarah Quarantotto, executive director of Miriam’s House, said the blessing bags will benefit those without shelter and the nonprofit organization. (Miriam's House)“This count really informs the federal government on funding decisions [and] what the need is in each community,” said Quarantotto. So, the anticipation of all of us in homeless response is that homelessness will rise over the next few months,” Quarantotto said. Miriam’s House is counting on resources to meet the need.

But counties say that with some federal relief funding expiring soon or its status uncertain, it's time to transition residents from expensive hotel rooms to cheaper, more stable housing. California is one of several states, including Washington, that turned to hotels to shelter homeless people as the virus took hold. The department has said it plans to move homeless people out of all 29 hotels by June. Russ Heimerich, spokesman with the state's Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency, says counties have resources to continue housing homeless people in hotels. They say hotel residents have flourished with regular checkups and meals.