As a result of their regional cooperation, the South Hampton Roads Regional Task Force on Ending Homelessness has achieved major successes in raising awareness, building new housing units, leveraging funding, and expanding access to existing housing. The South Hampton Roads localities achieved results together that they could not have achieved separately.
Their major accomplishments include:
Report on regional homelessness: "Homelessness in Southside Hampton Roads" - This report has become a key tool for educating city leaders, organizations and the public about the scope of the homelessness issue in the region.
Affordable housing database: "Housing Connect" - Streamlines the search process for low-to-moderate income households and connects them to the affordable rental properties and housing resources in the region. The link to "Housing Connect" can be found on the right under "Related Links."
2006 and 2008 South Hampton Roads Regional Conferences on Ending Homelessness - These two conferences have featured Philip F. Mangano, Executive Director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness as the keynote speaker, and subject matter experts from across the country that presented best practices in addressing homelessness.
Regional single room occupancy (SRO) projects: Gosnold Apartments (Norfolk, VA) and Cloverleaf Apartments (Virginia Beach, VA) - Each complex provides 60 units of permanent supportive housing in the region and housing for homeless single adults. These projects have decreased homelessness and added to the stock of permanent supportive housing. They also enhance the physical quality of the community by transforming vacant, dilapidated structures into quality, viable housing and tax-generating properties in the cities where they are located.
South Hampton Roads Regional Plan to End Homelessness - The regional plan will commit the localities to continuing to work together and will not substitute or override each locality's own plan to end homelessness, but rather build upon them. It will also demonstrate each locality's commitment to work together in a way that reduces overall costs and increases overall benefits, without shifting the costs or burdens around the region.