NORFOLK, Va. — It's a difficult time of year for people seeking shelter. Not only are the colder temperatures pushing more people indoors, but the shelters are already filling up from problems building up over the past year.
A young man who goes by the name Mick walked out of Union Mission Ministries in Norfolk to get some breakfast nearby. He said he currently works at the Salvation Army, but getting substantial pay to cover rent in the region feels impossible.
"I couldn't find no place. Plus, rent's been going up everywhere," Mick said. "Especially in low-income areas."
Mick is currently receiving assistance from case managers helping him find the best employment while he uses one of the beds inside the men's shelter to keep warm.
"It's better to be here than out on the streets," Mick said. "And the weather is...the temperature has been dropping like crazy. It feels like a walk-in freezer out here."
Executive Director of Union Mission Ministries, John Gray, said their shelters are already at 100 percent capacity. He said the colder weather is partially to blame with more people staying inside the shelter for longer periods.
"For instance, they would not typically leave out as they would. We can also anticipate people in medical needs. More colds, more flus, more pneumonia, ramping up our medical program," Gray explained.
However, Gray said just because their shelters are busy, doesn't mean they don't have other resources to offer. He said case managers actively go out in the community to help people find affordable housing by working with other local agencies.
Matt Stearn, Executive Director of Help Inc., oversees efforts to help people struggling with homelessness in Hampton and Newport News. He said his team is already seeing nearly double the amount of people seeking shelter than they typically see during November leading into early December.
Stearn said high rent is one of the leading causes of this unusually busy time.
"The numbers we've seen have been significantly higher than years past," Stearn explained. "A lot of those pandemic-era supports are just gone. Food stamps are going down. A lot of things keeping people afloat are just not there so they have no other choice, but to come to our shelters."
Stearn said January and February are typically the busier months since they are the coldest months out of the year. Right now, he said he is trying to recruit the best people to work for Help Inc., but like many industries, it's been tough getting the right person to do the job.
Nonetheless, Stearn said his team is always preparing for the busy months and they are actively getting ready for the influx in demand ahead.
"We're kind of the last line of defense to prevent people from sleeping on park benches," Stearn said. "This is something that we all have to dig into together to find a solution for, and the first step is doing something and come out and join us."
Here is a list of shelter and housing assistance resources across Hampton Roads:
- Eggleston
- Shining Light Homes
- Endependence Center
- Family and Youth Foundations
- ForKids Inc.
- F.R.E.E. Foundation
- Hampton Veterans Affairs Medical Center
- H.E.R. Shelter
- LGBT Life Center
- Oasis Social Ministry
- Portsmouth Volunteers for the Homeless
- Shaping Your Future Homes
- Virginia Supportive Housing
- Chesapeake Area Shelter Team (CAST)
- Virginia Beach Community Development Corporation
- Judeo-Christian Outreach Center
- Seton Youth Services