NORFOLK, Va. — Along 19th Street in Norfolk, you'll see a line of tents on the sidewalk with items and coolers surrounding the area. One person there is Tommy Jones who says he's been struggling with homelessness for years.
"Well living in a tent...it's kind of rough in some ways, because you don't have much room," Jones explained.
He says he and other people have formed a community along 19th Street and help each other when they can. Jones says he usually does home improvement work to make some money, but says it's gotten difficult finding work over the last several months.
He says he's seen more and more people join tent city and other city programs he is in, saying, "When the NEST ends over here at First Presbyterian, there's really no other places people can go, because the Salvation Army is full at capacity. Even the mission is also that way right now. And they're not accepting any new people right now because of the pandemic going on. That's what's making everyone struggle with this right now."
The city of Norfolk's Homeless Action & Response Team (HART) is reporting more than 200 people in its support programs, but officials say the number of people dealing with homelessness is likely much higher due to an increase in many having to sleep in their cars.
The latest Planning Council report for Southeastern Virginia Homeless Coalition shows the number of people who have become homeless for the first time spiked in the past two years in Norfolk, Chesapeake, and Western Tidewater.
In the 2020 SVHC Point in Time Count, it says there were a total of 709 people experiencing homelessness counted across the service area, which includes four cities and two counties. This is a slight increase from 700 persons counted in January 2019.
The city of Norfolk says while the numbers can be difficult to track, they are seeing a rise in the need for assistance. This is something Ghent Area Ministry is also seeing.
Ghent Area Ministry Project Manager, Tim Giddens, says they have a team made up of several different churches and organizations to provide resources for the programs.
"It's not just about a handout, it's not just about 'oh take this and go.' It's not just another program. We want to give a hand up," said Giddens.
"20 years ago, 19 of the local churches decided to put together a ministry to help those who are poor or homeless...that way people didn't have to go from church to church. Our real mission is to keep people in their homes or to get them a home," said Bob Heely, President of the Ghent Area Ministry board.
Ghent Area Ministry offers several different programs from helping people get proper clothing to educating them on the best ways to do an interview. They also have a Homeward Bound program, which is meant to offer assistance in transportation to help people get to where they want to move.
Giddens says moving forward, he hopes more people will help donate food or clothing to the program, so they can help more people get back on their feet.
NEST's winter shelters are expected to close soon, but the program is working on an initiative with the city to make it a year-round effort to help those struggling with homelessness.