ROANOKE, Va. – 402 people experienced homelessness in the Roanoke region, according to the Blue Ridge Continuum of Care’s Winter 2024 Point in Time Report.
One of the biggest issues is the city’s homeless population, which is why the RAM House is expanding its services to get more people off the streets.
RAM House, a day shelter for the homeless, is currently raising money to move, and it hopes to be in its new location on Elm Avenue by next year.
Executive Director Melissa Woodson said every day she’s seen more people come into RAM House. She said she has seen more elderly --- disabled --- and people who are experiencing opioid addiction.
When the day shelter moves locations, staff hope to provide more services like health care, counseling and even showers.
Woodson also said that moving locations will help make things better with the homeless in downtown Roanoke.
“We really want to take people off the streets, and we feel that if we up our game, Roanoke is gonna be protected from having problems in the future. This is a legacy thing for us we want to make sure that the future of the city is not to be inundated with homeless clients,” said Woodson.
The Least of These Ministry is another resource for people who are homeless. So far this year, it’s helped more than 900 people. It has several services, including an outreach vehicle.
“We go out on the streets ensuring that people have what they need, especially as the temperatures drop. We carry coats and hats and gloves hand warmers, sleeping bags, food, underwear hygiene products, things like that that actually serve them where they are,” said Least of These Ministry Founder, Dawn Sandoval.
The Least of These Ministry also has a motel called “Suites but TLOT,” where people who are homeless can stay at an affordable price.
To help address the problem in downtown Roanoke, there are also several organizations that team up every Friday to walk around the city providing resources for those who are unsheltered. The program is called the Downtown Ambassadors Program.
It was created about two years ago to help address the problem of homeless in downtown. Some of the organizations that participate are the RAM House and the Fralin Free Clinic. It provides referrals for people who are homeless or experiencing homelessness. So far, it’s provided more than 1,700 referrals. Fralin Free Clinic’s R.N. Emily Bell with the Fralin Free Clinic partners with the Downtown Ambassadors Program.
“With Block by Block, it’s even extended further because there are those partners out in the community that walk with us on Fridays who do outpatient substance abuse programs they have a homeless assistance team, which is able to help people who they’re housing to help people with their birth certificates their IDs even getting mail to them,” said Bell.
The Downtown Ambassadors Program is managed by Block by Block, which is a nationwide organization that does different downtown ambassador programs throughout the country.
Director of Marketing and Communications Izzy Post said many businesses like the program.
“We hear people talking about how clean it is or how safe they feel or the impact that these ambassadors are making, you know it’s not just on the outreach side of things it really is threefold on that hospitality as well,” said the director of marketing and communications Izzy Post.
They’ve talked to more than 6,000 people on the streets and that number can include people they’ve talked to more than once.
Meanwhile, Roanoke City Police are also ramping up its presence in the downtown area after concerns from businesses and residents about issues like the impact of the homeless population.
Police are teaming up with other groups like the Homeless Assistance Team.
The city also said the Homeless Assistance Team is using COVID-funds to provide move-in assistance to help them move to permanent housing. In three years, they’ve housed more than 200 people from the streets.