PETERSBURG, Va. — More than 250 children are living in hotels in Petersburg, prompting community leaders to host a housing stability and job fair to help families secure permanent homes.
The event brought together resources for housing and employment under one roof, offering a chance for those needing help to connect with those who can provide it.
Cassaundra, a mother of a 13-year-old and a 4-year-old who is on the autism spectrum, was one of the first to arrive for the all-day event.
"Right now I'm living in a hotel due to a house fire I had back in January," Cassaundra said.
The mother of two said she was also hoping to find a job at the event.
"I've been in the parking lot since 8 o'clock this morning when I dropped my son off at school," Cassaundra said.
Another mother, who lives in a hotel with her daughter in the third grade, described the toll the living situation was taking on her family as "really hard" and "really stressful."
Shanika McClelland, executive director of People's Advantage Helping Hands, noted there are roughly 250 school-age children living in Petersburg hotels.
"These families want the help. They don't want to be in the situation that they are in," McClelland said.
People's Advantage Credit Union has a nonprofit designed to help provide a safe living environment for needy families.
"We have a program that's a housing stability program," McClelland said. "It's a revolving loan fund where we have families get a loan to provide first month's rent and down payment deposit for stable housing."
The groups represented at the event are working together to help people out of hotels or to keep them from moving into one in the first place. Larry Hall, his wife and their 13-year-old son were on the last day of their lease before receiving assistance.
"Petersburg City Schools, Howard Myers and People's Advantage, all collectively helped me," Hall said. "It helps families cause it helped me and my family."
Andranise Flowers with Petersburg Public Schools said she personally understands the difficulties school-age children face when living in a hotel.
"There's a lot of emotional impact that people don't consider or think about," Flowers said. "But we're here to make sure those students have that equal playing field of equity, so they can have all the opportunities other students with stable housing have."
Anyone in need of housing assistance who missed the event can call 804-748-3018 to get in touch with resources.
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