A change in philosophy at the national and state level about how best to address homelessness contributed to the closing of the Sheltering Arms emergency shelter in Orange, according to Cathy Zielinski, program manager-human services planning for the Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Commission.
Ms. Zielinski presented a status report on homelessness to the Lake of the Woods Democratic Club at its May 17 meeting.
The topic is of particular interest to club members because they had supported Sheltering Arms with their money and volunteer time for years before it closed last fall. The shelter was one of the few emergency shelters in the region and the only one that served single men.
Ms. Zielinski said federal and state authorities are now emphasizing getting homeless persons into permanent housing rather than temporary shelters and transitional housing. The philosophy is that public funds should be directed toward permanent solutions to the problem of homelessness rather than to short-term fixes. The result, she said, is that emergency shelters have suffered severe budget cuts.
The regional strategy for combatting homelessness is to provide a continuum of care directed to getting the homeless into permanent housing they can afford, she said.
The Piedmont Housing Network, which includes Orange, Culpeper, Madison, Fauquier and Rappahannock counties, the Rappahannock-Rapidan Community Services Board and the area agency on aging, maintains four emergency shelters, six transitional housing units and a permanent supportive housing unit for persons with disabilities. Efforts have begun to work with landlords and property owners in the region to establish a system of permanent housing.