ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) — The Blue Ridge Continuum of Care‘s annual ‘Point In Time Count’ shows more than 300 people experienced homelessness this past January.

Over the past year, the number of people experiencing homelessness in the Roanoke region has increased by 54%. That is the largest increase in the Roanoke Valley since they started reporting the data in 2009.

“For those numbers, of course, they are concerning but we are not going to let them dampen our efforts,” said Kevin Berry the Director of Marketing and Communications at the Rescue Mission of Roanoke.

The report shows nearly 89% of people stayed in emergency shelters. Marissa Hopkins has been homeless since 2018 and believes one of the main reasons for this increase is the lack of resources in the area.

“Since I’m homeless and on the streets, I’ve had my stuff stolen quite a few times. So, I’ve lost my birth certificate, social security card, and everything. Without having those essentials, it’s going to be hard to get a job,” said Hopkins.

Matthew Crookshank, the Human Services Administrator for The Blue Ridge Continuum of Care, said in part he believes the lack of affordable housing and the expiration of pandemic-related protections are some of the main contributions to the increase.

Mayor Sherman Lea said Roanoke is currently working to hire more people to help fight the problem.

“We have a home assistance team called a HAT team that’s out there working every day and they are making enrolls. We are placing people into situations where they do not have to sleep outside but it’s not at the pace we want it to be,” said Mayor Lea.

Local shelters are also feeling the brunt of the increase.

“It’s not just in the meals or the beds that we are providing but it’s also in our healthcare services. And just folks that are coming in, asking for services that we may or may not provide, but guess what? We are going to point them in the right direction if we don’t provide them,” said Berry.

Berry added that this year they have had around 230 people staying in the shelter each night but recently they have seen that number spike to 275.

If you are looking for a place to stay the Rescue Mission is open 24/7 and can provide you with additional resources to help.