After months of paying for hotel rooms for people experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic, PACEM and the Thomas Jefferson Area Coalition for the Homeless were in desperate search of a long-term housing solution. When the Red Carpet Inn off Route 29 in Albemarle County was put up for sale last summer, the nonprofits believed […]
After months of paying for hotel rooms for people experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic, PACEM and the Thomas Jefferson Area Coalition for the Homeless were in desperate search of a long-term housing solution. When the Red Carpet Inn off Route 29 in Albemarle County was put up for sale last summer, the nonprofits believed […]
Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, local shelters have drastically expanded their efforts to house our most vulnerable community members. With support from the Thomas Jefferson Area Coalition for the Homeless and People and Congregations Engaged in Ministry, those experiencing homelessness have been able to stay at hotels, where they receive daily meals, case […]
“When the pandemic set in, it rendered our model impossible,” says Jayson Whitehead, executive director of PACEM, a local nonprofit that partners with area houses of worship to offer overnight shelter and meals for the homeless during the winter. Close contact in church buildings became unsafe. So did the buffet dinners served by congregation volunteers. […]
As the number of coronavirus cases continue to rise in our area, life has become increasingly dangerous for those who do not have a place to call home. To protect these vulnerable community members, local shelters have pivoted from their usual operations and redoubled their efforts over the past several months—but not without challenges. For […]
Every year, C-VILLE publishes a power issue. It’s usually a rundown of local real-estate moguls and entrepreneurs, tech tycoons, arts leaders, and big donors. This year’s issue is a little different—most of the people and groups listed here aren’t the richest folks in town. They don’t own the most land, they don’t run the […]
Almost 20 years ago, clergy members at downtown churches became concerned about the men and women they frequently found sleeping in church doorways when they arrived at work in the morning. As faith leaders, they wanted to provide a better kind of shelter, so they teamed up with the Thomas Jefferson Area Coalition for the […]
Last August, Chinikqua Joseph’s Buckingham County home burned down. Thankfully, no one was injured or killed by the fire, but she, along with her mother and godmother, lost everything. They were homeless. While looking for housing, Joseph stayed with friends, and later with a boyfriend. When that relationship became abusive, she had to find a […]
Photos by Zack Wajsgras In January, The Haven will celebrate 10 years of serving homeless and extremely low-income people in the heart of Charlottesville. As the Downtown Mall has been revitalized, the area has become increasingly expensive, home to luxury residences like C&O Row and the 550. The Haven, in a 19th-century church at First […]