<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4AfZab_1GvLVUt500" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4AfZab_1GvLVUt500" width="1200" height="600" >ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) - Roanoke is exploring solutions to homelessness after Mayor Joe Cobb’s “Hope and Home Task Force” released its findings. The report includes recommendations on housing and services.The task force was created more than a year ago to explore the issue and find ways to address it.The report said Roanoke saw a 467% increase in homelessness between 2019 and 2025.During the 2024-25 school year, Roanoke City Public Schools identified upwards of 700 people experiencing homelessness.The task force identified the rising cost of housing as the main cause. One-bedroom housing prices have increased 63% since 2019, according to the task force.During its review, which lasted a year and a half, the task force interviewed people who are currently or have been homeless in Roanoke. It then created a list of recommendations that fall under three main categories: affordable housing, transitional housing, and connecting community services.The task force said a housing study determined Roanoke needs around 5,000 more affordable housing units. One of its top recommendations is for the city to take multiple steps to address this, including creating a comprehensive strategy to add more housing.The task force recommends targeting vacant properties, public land, and tax-delinquent properties for new housing. It also wants the city to create incentives for developers to build affordable housing and streamline the building permit process.Cobb said this is one of the first things City Council can do. He said the city would work with its real estate valuation office and economic development team to determine the best incentive package. He listed several options.“I think tax abatements are one option. I think historic tax credits are another. We have to think about new construction. We have to think about rehabilitated properties in terms of blighted and derelict properties that can be rehabilitated into either single-family or multi-family units,” Cobb said.Cobb said the Rescue Mission is partnering with Homes for America to build 150 new units near the Rescue Mission. The units will have on-site services, he said.Cobb said the city also needs more permanent supportive housing units.“I think right now we have between 40 and 50, and that’s not sufficient,” Cobb said.Cobb said many of those units exist in part because of funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. He said what that funding formula looks like in the years ahead will be a major consideration for the city.He described the goal for new and redeveloped housing.“We want to make sure that we’re building or redeveloping housing that both addresses the deficit but covers a range of affordability,” Cobb said.Cobb said reactivating the city’s land bank is critical. He said the city was able to get a valuation rate changed through the last General Assembly, from $75,000 to $125,000. That makes it more viable to transfer properties that go to tax sale to the land bank, he said. The city could then work with local builders and nonprofits to rehabilitate the houses and return them to the housing inventory, he said.Cobb said the current council has had conversations about a land value tax. Asked whether council could make that kind of tax code change on its own, he said it depends on the city’s authority.“If it’s something we already have the authority to do, then we can do that. If it’s something that needs to be newly enacted by the General Assembly or amended through an existing tax code on the state level, then we would need to advocate for the General Assembly to change that,” Cobb said.A land value tax means a property would be taxed based on the value of the land it sits on and not any buildings on the property. Right now, this means properties with functioning structures on them are taxed more than those that are empty or vacant. A land use tax would change this and is meant to encourage property owners to build on or renovate their properties.Cobb said the city would work with its city manager, finance department, treasurer, and commissioner of revenue to analyze the tax code and determine whether it has the authority to proceed.The task force also recommends creating a small home village to provide temporary transitional housing for people living on the streets. The plan calls for building 10 to 14 units at first as a pilot program. The cost would be between $750,000 and $1 million.Cobb said the city has several possible locations in mind.“We do have some locations we’re looking into just to see the viability. Because obviously we want them to be in a place where we can have supportive services on site,” Cobb said.Cobb said the city wants the location to be near services such as a bus line, social services, and medical services. He explained why that matters for people moving into the units.“Because just taking that first step from being unhoused into transitional housing is a big step. And that’s part of creating stability for the person,” Cobb said.Cobb said the city is eager to pilot the small home concept, which he called Star Villages. He said the city has some framework in place and needs to connect with the community at a grassroots level to explore location options and build community buy-in. He said the city has not yet determined how much land the village would need.Cobb said the city is looking at a dedicated small home village that would align with the cottage courtyard model in its zoning amendments. He said some other cities are rehabilitating hotels and turning them into transitional housing.“So we’re trying to think proactively about something that would fit in with our current zoning. But also provide this transitional housing model for folks who might need it the most,” Cobb said.Cobb said he hopes units larger than a single room have plumbing and electricity, “so that someone can truly call it a transitional home.”Cobb said the construction timeline depends on the design of the units.“If we’re looking at units that are already pre-built and that we’re locating onto a site, that’s one thing. If they’re built from scratch, that might take a little bit longer,” Cobb said.He said the city wants the units to be cost-effective and expects to use a combination of a prefabricated unit and added utilities or other amenities.Cobb said the city hopes to have the pilot village built within the next two years.One recommendation is to expand the city’s no-camping ordinance citywide. Cobb said he wants more housing options in place first.“If we do that, we need to be able to say to people, here are your housing options. And until we have some of that in place, it would be hard for me to support expanding that until we have a viable alternative,” Cobb said.Organizations such as The Least of These Ministries and the Rescue Mission provide services to people experiencing homelessness in Roanoke. The task force found it is not always easy for people to connect with the services they need.“Roanoke is resource-rich but connection poor. For someone experiencing homelessness, navigating these resources can feel overwhelming. Where do I go? Who do I call? How do I get there? And who helps me take the next step?” said Lee Clark, CEO of the Roanoke Rescue Mission.The plan is to create a regional access hub that connects the organizations. The hub would offer a 24-hour hotline, an online resource toolkit, consistent referral processes, and workers who help people navigate the services.Cobb said the hub would be an online one-stop shop, possibly through 211. He said the Council of Community Services operates 211 locally. The council is also involved in the Community Housing Resource Center and is part of the Blue Ridge Continuum of Care, which works on homelessness in the region, he said.Cobb described a phone line that would be part of the hub.“A dedicated warm line that people could call if they needed access to services or needed to know immediately what shelter spaces are available or what housing resources are available,” Cobb said.Cobb said the warm line is one item the city can move on fairly quickly.Asked who would staff the line, Cobb said that has not been fully determined. He said the city does not want to duplicate existing services.“One of the things we’ve talked about is not reinventing the wheel, but utilizing resources we already have locally,” Cobb said.He said the city would need to determine whether 211 is a fit or whether the line would need to be modeled differently.Cobb said one of the recommendations is to create an implementation committee. He said the city will look at its shape and scope.“That could be all members from the task force that are interested in carrying the implementation forward, working with council and with city staff,” Cobb said.Cobb said the city will prioritize the recommendations and determine which can be completed in the short term and which will take longer. It will then create a strategy to carry them out.Cobb said one of the city’s first steps is to share the task force’s findings with leaders in surrounding localities, including Roanoke and Botetourt counties. He said he plans to reach out to the regional commission, which represents many localities in the region.“I want to talk with our neighbors, let them know what we’re thinking about, how, as a region, we can collectively work on solutions,” Cobb said.The city will seek commitments for funding or pledges to build new housing to address homelessness across the region, Cobb said.“We need expanded partnerships related to addressing homelessness because it’s not just a city of Roanoke problem,” Cobb said.Cobb said a medical respite program is a longer-term item for the city to consider. He said the Rescue Mission has a respite space but does not have medical staff. The city would need a site with on-site medical staff to help people after they are treated and discharged from the hospital, he said.“We understand that people are discharged from the hospital for a reason, but we don’t want them to be discharged into homelessness on the street,” Cobb said.Cobb said the city can work on that gap over the next couple of years.</div></body>

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ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) - Roanoke is exploring solutions to homelessness after Mayor Joe Cobb’s “Hope and Home Task Force” released its findings. The report includes recommendations on housing and services. The task force was created more than a year ago to explore the issue and find ways...

Roanoke mayor outlines plans from homelessness task force recommendations

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ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) - Roanoke is exploring solutions to homelessness after Mayor Joe Cobb’s “Hope and Home Task Force” released its findings. The report in

Roanoke mayor outlines plans from homelessness task force recommendations

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