January and February are historically the coldest months in Virginia, and that provides a challenge for organizations that serve people without homes.
"Our work is urgent throughout the year but it's even more urgent during the cold months," says Roanoke Human Services Coordinator Matt Crookshank, who oversees the Homeless Assistance Team. "When it gets cold, it's a life-and-death situation."
The COVID-19 pandemic amplified those challenges. The closure of facilities and social isolation led to changes in the types of people who need services.
"The mental health crisis has grown exponentially since COVID," says Dawn Sandoval, the executive director of The Least of These Ministry. "The substance abuse population has grown immensely."
The pandemic also disrupted the housing market. Since 2019, the average rent for a one bedroom apartment in Roanoke has increased by $400 per month. That put more people on the street. Especially older people on fixed incomes.
"Our homeless population has grown in age," Sandoval says. "We're seeing much older people due to the housing costs, not being able to rent anywhere with retirement or disability checks that are fixed."
The Least of These Ministry runs a day shelter that provides food, laundry and showers. At night, it runs two warming buses that serve 30 to 50 people per night. Over the calendar year so far, more than 1,800 people have used the buses.
Several blocks away, Roanoke Area Ministries is seeing similar issues.
"Every year, it's gotten worse and worse and worse," says RAM Executive Director Melissa Woodson. "At the RAM House, we have people with wheelchairs, people with walkers, people with canes. I've seen a trach [a tracheotomy tube], a stomach tube. It's almost like an adult care facility for people these days."
In early 2024, RAM purchased a property a few blocks away on Elm Avenue with the help of Prabhat Jain, CEO of Virginia Transformer Corp., and his wife Vandana. The new facility will feature more services through partnerships with Brain Injury Solutions, Carilion Clinic, BrightView and Virginia Harm Reduction. Woodson says the move should be complete by mid-2026.
One of the most effective strategies in combating homelessness is to prepare and place people in more permanent housing.
"We all recognize housing is really the core issue that needs to be solved," says Crookshank. "So, developing strategies to create more housing, especially affordable housing for lower income folks, is really the ultimate solution. That's what we need."
But local governments across the Roanoke Valley are struggling to develop more affordable housing. The problem could get even more complicated in coming months, as the Trump administration has proposed cuts to federal housing assistance.
Roanoke has formed the Hope and Home Task Force, consisting of community members, to consider policy recommendations to address the issue. The task force is expected to send recommendations to the city council in 2026.
