RICHMOND, Va -- Families who are trying to move toward housing stability are sharing their experiences seeking homeless assistance in the Richmond region and the challenges they faced while attempting to access support.
“It’s a struggle. I’m 42 years old. I never in a million years thought I’d be in this situation," Richard Belyeu, a single father of three currently experiencing homelessness, said.
Belyeu said he lost his job about four weeks ago, and since he was already behind in paying rent, he was evicted from his apartment.
A woman who wished to remain anonymous said she became homeless after giving birth to her newborn in July.
“It’s really hard. It’s definitely really hard because places are expensive," she said. "I'm doing the best I can. I signed up for Section 8 for me and my son. We're trying to find something that's reasonable that we can afford. All I can do is just pray every day."
And another father of four who wished to remain anonymous said he was subleasing an apartment in Richmond when he was forced out.
“It's very serious. When you have four kids, and they depend on you. Like, I need the help," he said.
All three parents are currently staying at a motel on the city's Southside.
Richmond-area nonprofits, including Inspirations Community Development Corporation, and the City of Richmond's Family Crisis Fund are helping foot the bill for 60 motel rooms for those experiencing homelessness.
“They immediately put me into a room. My kids have a shower to take every night, and have a roof over their heads. They can watch a little TV, little entertainment, and we're not out in the streets sleeping in my truck, so it's definitely been a godsend," Belyeu said.
Families are also getting support from the YMCA's 'Help1RVA' which provides social needs navigation services.
"What we're doing is assisting the homeless residents that are here to help them find clothing, food, housing, any opportunity that will take them from homelessness to self-sufficiency," said Greg Creel, social needs navigator with the Richmond YMCA.
Creel said he's noticed the need grow at an alarming rate, mentioning that caseworkers have gone from handling about 10-20 individual cases at a time to 40-60.
“It's definitely getting more significant. Our caseloads have probably tripled in the last six months," Creel said.
Creel, and those experiencing homelessness, said the obvious long-term solution to homelessness is affordable housing.
He said, on average, clients are now paying anywhere from $1,000-$1,500 per month on rent.
Richmond city leaders have declared a housing crisis and released a plan to increase affordability and expand the availability of homes and rental units over the next seven years.
But some leaders, advocates, and those experiencing homelessness said the emergency network that supports people in crisis during their transition from homelessness to stability is lacking.
“I know that we're having a lot of concerns about the Homeless Connection, the clearinghouse for homelessness, that people are on waiting lists, that they're not finding anything quickly," Creel said. "We're all in the same situation where there's just not enough to meet the needs of the area."
When people in Central Virginia become homeless, they are encouraged to call the Homeless Connection Line, which serves as the primary entry point into year-round shelters and other resources part of the Greater Richmond Continuum of Care (GRCoC), which is a network of nonprofits that support the homeless community.
But some people told CBS 6 they have not had luck with the Homeless Connection Line, which received 1,000 calls from those experiencing homelessness between January-March of this year, according to the latest GRCoC annual report.
“I left a message. I never got a callback. I called three times, I believe, and never got an answer," Belyeu said.
“They just say, 'Call back, we've got you on file.' That’s not helping me," one mother said.
"They all tell me the same thing, 'Oh, we don't have any funds this week,' or 'We can't help you because this is the criteria you didn't meet,'" another father said.
In a recent memo, Richmond City Councilmembers recognized "inherent challenges and barriers" that exist in accessing assistance.
They made new recommendations on addressing the homelessness crisis to include increasing case management services, implementing a year-round shelter and housing resource center that serves as a physical entry point into the homeless support system, and expanding funding for the Family Crisis Fund which is helping support the temporary motel rooms for families.
Homeward pushed back against the city council's recommendations for being "misleading" and "inaccurate," adding that the current system is a nationally recognized model and served over 6,800 people last year. However, the agency acknowledged the system's resources are not sufficient to meet the need and welcomed additional funding and support from the city.
Families currently staying at the motel said they're grateful for the help of the nonprofits who stepped in to fill the gaps when they felt they were slipping through the cracks of the system.
“They’re helping people where others won’t," Belyeu said. "Me, a single father of three with nowhere to turn, and this program just literally took 50% of the weight off my shoulders. Now the other 50% is me doing the work."
Belyeu said he has job interviews lined up and is working on securing stable housing before his time at the motel ends. According to Arlene Simmons with Inspirations Community Development Corporation, families will stay at the motel for about a month.
Depend on CBS 6 News and WTVR.com for in-depth coverage of this important local story. Anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
EAT IT, VIRGINIA restaurant news and interviews
