City permits posted July 29 reveal how Charlottesville intends to adapt 2000 Holiday Dr., the site of a proposed low-barrier homeless shelter, to meet the urgent needs of residents of the soon-to-be-closed Rivanna encampment.
The city has set a September 1 deadline for moving an estimated 50-plus people from their tents along the Rivanna Trail, amid growing safety concerns for people in and near the encampment.
In March, a coalition of city officials and local groups presented plans to renovate Holiday Drive as a permanent, low-barrier shelter. Those blueprints reserved the first floor for common areas, kitchens and dining rooms, and offices for on-site staff. The second floor included 80 beds for men, women, and gender-neutral residents, in semiprivate rooms sleeping no more than eight people each.
In contrast, the new emergency plan involves only the first floor, allowing second-floor renovations to proceed. Residents will sleep in large common spaces, with men’s and women’s wings separated by a combination lobby and dining area. Though the blueprints don’t label them, the women’s wing appears to have semiprivate areas; the men’s wing does not. Blueprints do not specify how many residents the emergency shelter could house. The only indoor restrooms in the new plan appear reserved for staff, with a proposed outdoor restroom trailer for residents parked behind the building.
Encampment residents C-VILLE spoke with said the emergency design won’t meet many people’s needs, citing its lack of accommodation for couples or people with companion animals, and the difficulty of sleeping soundly in big, open, all-hours rooms.
At an August 3 City Council meeting, City Manager Sam Sanders said the shelter would eventually offer those accommodations once it’s fully renovated. Council voted 4-0 at that meeting to allocate a further $4 million for emergency shelter services.
Blood crisis
The American Red Cross has declared its second-ever blood crisis, with nationwide reserves of O positive blood—most frequently used in emergency transfusions—at one day or less.
“We’ve seen a 25 percent drop in collections in the month of June,” says Bill Brent, executive director of the Red Cross’ Central Virginia chapter. His organization is the sole source of donated blood for area hospitals. Brent urges anyone with any blood type who hasn’t given blood in the past 56 days to do so.
Book a donation appointment at the Red Cross’ Albemarle Square collection center by visiting redcrossblood.org or downloading the organization’s mobile app
