From Shelter to Stability
Current Referral Partners
The CARITAS Furniture Bank works with more than 28 partnering organizations to distribute furniture to families moving out of homelessness and crisis-intervention programs. With this joint effort between agencies, furniture is distributed to more than 250 households per year. On average The CARITAS Furniture Bank provides furnishings valued at over $500 to each of these households. The furnishings are supplied at no charge to the clients with the referring agencies paying a small program fee. This collaborative effort to meet basic needs supports the client’s efforts to achieve housing independence and long-term stability.
- CARITAS Shelter
- Refugee and Immigration Services
- Home Again
- Flagler Services
- YWCA
- O A R
- Daily Planet
- Youth Empowerment Services
- Embrace Richmond
- Virginia Supportive Housing
- The Healing Place
- Safe Harbor
- Daughters of Zelophehad
- Freedom House
- Hilliard House
- Road to Redemption
- American Red Cross
- Gateway Homes
- Virginia Council Churches
- Salvation Army
- Chesterfield Community Service Board
- Commonwealth Catholic Charities
- Resources for Independent Living
- and more...
CARITAS Shelter
CARITAS (Congregations Around Richmond Involved To Assure Shelter) was organized in the early 1980’s to respond to the huge unmet need for emergency shelter for homeless adults in the cold winter months. With its name derived from the Latin word for charity, today CARITAS is the largest emergency shelter program in our community. More than 185 faith communities provide over 37,000 nights of shelter. Our congregation-based model mobilizes thousands of volunteers annually.
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Refugee and Immigration Services
Refugee and Immigration Services is a program of the Office of Justice and Peace that is working to help the world’s oppressed, committed to restoring the dignity of the displaced and sensitizing our communities to the implications of international policies.
Refugee and Immigration Services (RIS) has a long and successful history in helping necomers start life anew. Regional offices were established in Richmond and Norfolk in 1975 and Roanoke in 1978. We have resettled many thousands of refugees from Afghanistan, Bosnia, Burma, Cuba, Ethiopia, Haitia, Iraq, Laos, Cambodia, Liberia, Sudan, Somalia, Ukraine, and Vietnam into in the Greater Richmond, Hampton Roads, and Roanoke Valley, Virginia areas.
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Home Again
Established in 1980, HomeAgain provides emergency shelter and transitional housing for Richmond’s men, women, children and veterans who have no place to live. HomeAgain also connects clients to community resources and assists them in developing the skills necessary to obtain and maintain permanent housing.
HomeAgain operates two emergency programs, both located in downtown Richmond. The Espigh Family Shelter, home to 30 women and children, and the Men’s Emergency Shelter, home to 20 men, are 90 day programs that focus on basic need for food and shelter. Residents in both houses perform daily chores and routine house upkeep. Most of the residents of these two programs are referred to HomeAgain from Central Intake, the Department of Social Services, or one of the other shelter programs.
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St. Joseph’s Villa
St. Joseph’s Villa provides a variety of services that are collectively called the “Flagler Services for Homeless Families.” All the Flagler services are designed to provide education and developmental and psychological support to enable homeless families with children to become self-sufficient.
There are two major components of the service. The Flagler Home is an on-campus program that supports homeless women and their children. Women live on campus for 12 to 24 months and work with counselors who provide direct support. The Flagler Community Services program provides the same types of support to single mothers, fathers, intact families and intergenerational families living in the community.
All participants in the program receive a variety of services tailored to address each individual’s issues related to self-sufficiency. These services include educational, vocational, psychological, financial and parenting programs. The Stepping Up program (funded by the Philip Morris Employee Community Fund) helps clients develop job skills and find employment with area corporations.
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YWCA of Richmond
For 120 years, the YWCA of Richmond has been a leading force in securing an environment of change and empowerment for women and their families. Originally founded to house women coming to the city seeking factory work, the YWCA continues its mission of caring for those most in need and providing equal opportunities for women, children and families of all ages, races, and income levels.
Over the years the YWCA has modified its programs to support the emerging needs of the community, however; it has never strayed from its mission. In addition to providing accredited early childhood education programming, the YWCA remains committed to ensuring that victims of domestic and sexual violence experience rescue, recovery, and life-rebuilding programs that foster emotional, social, and economic stability. It is up to us to remain relevant and provide services that make a difference.
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Offender Aid and Restoration of Richmond
The mission of Offender Aid and Restoration of Richmond, Inc. (OAR) is to provide community managed services aimed at restoring the individual offender as a responsible member of the community.
OAR is affiliated with the national organization, OAR/USA, whose mission is to serve as a coalition dedicated to promoting a community based justice system responsive to the needs of those whose lives have been affected by crime.
To further these missions, OAR of Richmond’s programs support the restoration of offenders, families, and victims by encouraging volunteer participation, alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent offenders, and services for offenders/ex-offenders as part of its community justice efforts.
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Daily Planet
The Daily Planet is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 charitable organization founded in 1969. For more than 35 years, we’ve been a leading provider of services to the Greater Richmond homeless population. The Daily Planet is committed to providing the highest quality service in the most cost-effective manner to the people we serve.
Over the years, the Planet has continually adapted the services it provides to best meet the ever-changing needs of our clients. Today, Daily Planet serves as part of Homeward’s Greater Richmond Continuum of Care and provides a wide scope of health and human welfare services to the urban poor and homeless population. The Planet operates the only free standing health care center in the area providing primary health care to the homeless, uninsured and underinsured regardless of their ability to pay. Additionally, Daily Planet provides a 12-week job training and placement program to the unemployed homeless and offers at no charge to those in need: eye care, dental care, mental health and psychiatric care, laundry and shower facilities, case management, mail and substance abuse services.
Under the direction of Executive Director Peter Prizzio, who joined the Planet in December 2002, Daily Planet is open for business from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., five days a week. The organization services nearly 1,400 active participants, and handles anywhere from 100-150 clients on a normal operating day—translating into roughly 30,000 encounters a year!
Daily Planet does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, handicap or any other non-performance factor in employment and the provision of other services.
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Youth Empowerment Services
Youth Empowerment Services provides therapeutic services to youth that are regarded as having a history of severe emotional, behavioral and/or aggressive reactive challenges which have prevented them from living in the community.
Youth Empowerment Services, Inc. is a growing organization founded in 2003 and based in Richmond, Virginia. The organization has quickly expanded from one residential group home to providing an array of residential and community-based services to youth and their families including crisis stabilization and diagnostic services, intensive in-home counseling, therapeutic day treatment, a day school, and transitional housing services.
It is only through the continuous efforts of our professional and innovative staff in the pursuit of excellence and measurable outcomes that this organization has experienced a high level of success and an esteemed reputation among the customers we service.
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Virginia Supportive Housing
Virginia Supportive Housing (VSH) is a not-for-profit homeless services provider and community development corporation whose mission is to provide permanent housing and comprehensive support services to very low-income individuals and families who are homeless and/or who have disabilities in order to initiate and promote their transition from homelessness to productivity and independence.
Virginia Supportive Housing accomplishes its mission through a combination of three distinct, yet closely dependent activities:
Housing Development – safe and affordable housing is developed through the purchase and renovation of existing housing stock in the Richmond area. At purchase, many of the properties are either condemned or substandard. In addition, Virginia Supportive Housing is now engaging in projects involving new construction.
Property Management – ensures that the properties are clean and well maintained. The Director of Property Management is responsible for collecting rents and overseeing a staff of full- and part-time rental clerks to ensure the safety and well being of the residents.
Support Services – empower residents to maintain their housing. Services are primarily directed through the Resident Achievement Program (RAP). RAP is a critical factor in the success of VSH at helping formerly homeless individuals break the cycle of homelessness. Through RAP, support services are provided to all residents of the Single Room Occupancy/efficiency apartments. The three major components of the RAP are: 1) Employment and Training; 2) Recovery from substance abuse; 3) Literacy and Life Skills. An individualized service plan is developed for each resident and is tailored to their unique needs.
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The Healing Place of Richmond
The Healing Place of Richmond is a nonprofit organization established to provide shelter for the homeless and a long term residential recovery program for those who are chemically dependent. Services are provided at no cost to the client.
The Healing Place program was established in Louisville, Kentucky and has a 15 year history of success working with many who have been considered hopeless by society. They have helped to restore the lives of more than 1,500 men and women during this period of time. The Healing Place of Wake County in Raleigh, North Carolina opened in January 2000 and is in their fifth year of operations. They have shown equally impressive results in restoring lives and providing hope to the homeless addict. The Healing Place of Richmond opened on March 2, 2005 and has already graduated more than 270 men from the recovery program.
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Safe Harbor
In April 2000, Safe Harbor opened to help solve a region-wide shortage of confidential shelters for abused women and children. Only three other confidential shelters exist – the Y.W.C.A.’s facilities in Chesterfield and the city of Richmond, and Hanover Safe Place, which can serve a maximum of 44 people. Safe Harbor can house an additional 8 women and children in our residential setting. Safe harbor serves victims throughout the region especially focuses on Henrico County where no other shelters exist.
At Safe Harbor, women and their children receive shelter and counseling, participate in support groups, and find help with legal, medical, emotional and work needs. Safe harbor offers knowledge of a healthy and violence-free lifestyle, while equipping people with a plan for safety, a list of resources for permanent housing as well as other life necessities. In order to break the cycle of abuse, we must go beyond treating just the physical injuries. We also address the needs of depression, anxiety, and other emotional wounds. Families spend about a month with us and continue to receive support after they leave. We assist victims in the community as well through our Volunteer Court Advocacy program, community support groups, individual counseling and educational presentations.
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The Daughters of Zelophehad
The Daughters of Zelophehad (DOZ) is a transitional housing program for homeless women and their children based in the Richmond, Virginia area. The existing home is in Chesterfield County. DOZ is an ecumenical Christian based ministry. Eligible families may live in the home for up to two years. During this time, these women and children receive the education, training and spiritual support they need to prepare them for independent living.
By offering transitional housing and spiritual support along with job and life skills training, DOZ helps empower homeless women to move from poverty to economic self-sufficiency. Graduate Daughters of Zelophehad will continue to have a spiritually supportive relationship with a faith community. They will be able to provide for their children in homes where the family can know stability, security and love.
DOZ offers a non-denominational, Christian housing program for the transformation, restoration, reconciliation and healing of women and children in crisis.
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Freedom House
Freedom House offers programs that not only meet the immediate needs of those in crisis, but also helps the chronically homeless acquire the skills and support they need to become self-sufficient for the long run. The Freedom House provides services through three programs: the Conrad Center, the Community Shelter, and Sean’s Place.
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Hilliard House
Hilliard House is a transitional facility for homeless women with children and is located in the East End of Henrico on Nine Mile Road. This thirty-bed facility is the first facility in the Metro Area which offers shelter for women who have children up to the age of 18. The agency works with other homeless service providers and social service agencies that offer families the services and support needed to take the first steps toward a new beginning.
The goal of Hilliard House is to offer a safe, supportive community in which a woman can heal from the traumas of life that have led her to her current situation. Each woman meets with a case manager and sets both short-term and long-term goals which enable her to take the necessary steps to successfully return to the community. Opportunities for job training, GED classes, twelve step programs, parenting and anger management classes, communication, nutrition and classes and activities for the children, encourage and enable women to meet their goals. Each woman must also attend house meetings, maintain her room and help with household chores and cooking.
Women with children who are homeless, who can benefit from the program offered and who are willing to comply with the program structure of Hilliard House, are welcomed. They come from across the area and through referrals from other emergency shelters and other crisis programs. They are also referred to Hilliard House from Central Intake.
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R2R
R2R is a public non-profit 501(c)3 organization set up to assist individuals with employability skills, housing, food, clothing, money management, drug treatment, and many other things needed to be productive members of society.
The mission of R2R is to assist individuals become productive members of society after a term of incarceration. R2R does not forget about the family members and children of offenders/ex-offenders. They also need guidance and assistance to understand what their family member/loved one is going through to be a law-abiding citizen.
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American Red Cross
Since its founding in 1881 by visionary leader Clara Barton, the American Red Cross has been the nation’s premier emergency response organization. As part of a worldwide movement that offers neutral humanitarian care to the victims of war, the American Red Cross distinguishes itself by also aiding victims of devastating natural disasters. Over the years, the organization has expanded its services, always with the aim of preventing and relieving suffering.
Today, in addition to domestic disaster relief, the American Red Cross offers compassionate services in five other areas: community services that help the needy; support and comfort for military members and their families; the collection, processing and distribution of lifesaving blood and blood products; educational programs that promote health and safety; and international relief and development programs.
The American Red Cross is where people mobilize to help their neighbors—across the street, across the country, and across the world—in emergencies. Each year, in communities large and small, victims of some 70,000 disasters turn to neighbors familiar and new—the more than half a million volunteers and 35,000 employees of the Red Cross. Through over 700 locally supported chapters, more than 15 million people gain the skills they need to prepare for and respond to emergencies in their homes, communities and world.
Some four million people give blood—the gift of life—through the Red Cross, making it the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the United States. And the Red Cross helps thousands of U.S. service members separated from their families by military duty stay connected. As part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, a global network of 186 national societies, the Red Cross helps restore hope and dignity to the world’s most vulnerable people.
An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money, and blood to do its work.
The American National Red Cross is headquartered in Washington, Gail J. McGovern is President and CEO, and Bonnie McElveen-Hunter is Chairman of the Board of Governors.
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Gateway Homes
Gateway Homes is the only nonprofit organization in Virginia to provide a transitional, residential treatment program for adults with mental illness. The program helps individuals manage their mental illness and live more independently. Gateway’s comprehensive approach treats the entire person, not just their illness.
The physical, mental and emotional well-being for all residents is Gateway’s primary concern. A structured setting, clinical treatment, and socialization for all residents are distinguishing characteristics of Gateway.
Gateway Homes is recognized as an innovative and effective continuum of care, which encourages its residents to move towards greater self-sufficiency. Located in Chesterfield County, Virginia, Gateway Homes is the fulfillment of a dream that started 2 decades ago.
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The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army was founded in London, England in 1865. Methodist minister William Booth left the church to preach as an independent evangelist in the slums of London’s East End. He wanted to “preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and meet human needs in His name without discrimination.
Booth organized The Salvation Army church by military rank. Missions or churches became “corps”, members became “soldiers”, ministers became “Officers” and Booth was its first “General”.
In 1880 The Salvation Army came to New York City and in 1885 The Salvation Army began helping those in need in Richmond, Virginia.
Since then the Army has grown with many programs in Central Virginia including the Adult Rehabilitation Center, The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club, Christmas Assistance programs, Citadel Corps, Emergency Shelters, Family Services, Travelers Aid Services and Volunteer Outreach.
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Virginia Council of Churches
Virginia Council of Churches provides a variety of programs to those in need including a Refugee Resettlement Program , a Rural Family Development Program, and a disaster relief program.
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Chesterfield Community Services Board
The Chesterfield Community Services Board functions as the Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Department for Chesterfield County.
Dedicated to providing exceptional community services for over three decades, Chesterfield County Community Services Board is a comprehensive program designed for mental health, mental retardation, alcohol/drug abuse, prevention and infant intervention needs of Chesterfield County Citizens.
Our mission is to promote an improved quality of life for people in our community by identifying the needs and facilitating the provision of exceptional and comprehensive mental health, substance abuse, mental retardation, prevention, and early intervention services.
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Resources for Independent Living
Resources for Independent Living helps improve the lives of those with disabilities by teaching them to live independently. They help the entire Richmond area and most of the surrounding counties.
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Commonwealth Catholic Charities
Commonwealth Catholic Charities offers a wide variety of services to the community to include pregnancy counseling, assistance for homeless people, or food and financial assistance.
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Embrace Richmond
Embrace Richmond is a faith-based charitable organization working to prevent and end homelessness by equipping, empowering, and engaging people of faith in works of service. We envision a city united to embrace all who are in need; a place where people of every race, class and religious background join together to care for their neighbors in need.
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Items donated to the CARITAS Furniture Bank will be given to clients and used to further the mission of CARITAS.