On Monday afternoon, Mayor Joe Cobb will propose to the Roanoke City Council the “Mayor’s Hope and Home Task Force” — a “comprehensive, actionable and measurable” strategic plan to guide the council in addressing homelessness.
“The priorities will focus on creating sustainable solutions, improving public health, and restoring dignity to individuals experiencing homelessness, while ensuring and respecting the efforts of existing services and organizations,” Cobb wrote in the City Council Member Initiative Form.
Cobb recommends a 20-member task force, which would bring recommendations to the council in 18 months.
While the city has seen a reduction in homelessness of 30% over the last 15 years, recent years have brought increases in the number of homeless individuals in the city.
A Blue Ridge Continuum of Care point-in-time study from last year shows that from summer 2021 to summer 2023, Roanoke experienced a 54% increase in homelessness. 2024 saw another 12% increase.
On July 15, 2024, 342 people were experiencing homelessness in the region, with 65% of them living in Roanoke prior to becoming homeless.
The city is also dealing with a lack of necessary housing stock. A 2021 Virginia Tech study found a lack of 4,500 housing units in the city. Over half of the city’s residents spent 30% or more of their income on rent or mortgage, putting them at a higher risk of becoming homeless.
“While our homeless service providers do essential work in our community to address these issues, we believe it imperative to have a community-based task force to bring a comprehensive strategy and recommendations to increase housing options, address the root cause of homelessness, and work toward a notable decrease in homelessness in our community,” the form reads.
This item falls at the end of Monday’s 2 p.m. agenda. The day will start with a 9 a.m. joint session with the planning commission.
During the joint session, the council will receive a briefing on the potential of extending the city’s tax abatement program, which is supposed to sunset on July 1. The program allows partial tax exemptions for rehabilitation of property. The city attorney’s office and the office of real estate valuation propose extending the program for another five years.
Those interested in viewing the full agenda for Monday’s meeting can find it here. The meetings will be held in council chambers and broadcast live on Facebook.
