ROANOKE, Va. – Homelessness in the Roanoke Valley is a major concern among city leaders and residents.
The latest data from the Blue Ridge Continuum of Care’s Point-in-Time Count shows the number of people who are homeless has gone up by 54% over the last year.
According to the most recent data in January 2023, there were 334 people experiencing homelessness in the Roanoke Valley, compared to 216 in 2022.
“Pretty significant. I think several factors are at play. I think that our pandemic-related mostly and I think kind of a reflection of structural challenges like our affordable housing supply for low-income populations,” Matt Crookshank, the leader of Roanoke’s Homeless Assistance Team said.
Another number on the rise is the number of people who are homeless choosing to stay at Roanoke’s Rescue Mission.
In January 2023, 222 people were guests at the Rescue Mission, that’s an 89% increase from 2022 when there were 117 guests.
“And that’s a good thing because what that means is that the work organizations are doing to keep people off the street, that’s working. So, things like our medical street outreach, that’s working,” Rescue Mission’s Director of Communications, Kevin Berry said.
As for what city leaders are doing to address the rise in homelessness, Crookshank says systematic problems are the toughest barriers, like inflation and lack of affordable housing.
“Until we address those structural issues I think homelessness is going to exist at the scale it is now, unfortunately,” Crookshank said.
Read the full Point-in-Time Report, here.