RICHMOND, Va. — After a harsh winter left many unhoused individuals without shelter, Richmond City Council has approved more than $300,000 for an overflow inclement weather shelter to better prepare for next winter.
Tonya Fobbs, who volunteers with the Blessing Warriors team, witnessed firsthand how difficult the past winter was for those without housing.
"We see them literally freezing," Fobbs said.
The Chesterfield resident spent many evenings serving those in need, providing essential supplies during the coldest days.
"We provide hand warmers, foot warmers, blankets, boots, whatever we can provide to try and get them out of the elements as much as possible, but it's still not enough. They need somewhere to go," Fobbs said.
Unfortunately, on some of the coldest days, people in need were turned away because Richmond's inclement weather shelters reached capacity.
"We had to use our limited funds a lot of times to put in a hotel or just to get them out of the elements. So we do know specifically of a lot of people that were turned away," Fobbs said.
Richmond City Council member Stephanie Lynch said she and her colleagues worked to address this issue.
"In years past, we haven't had that plan B. And so what you saw the last several years is stakeholders, cities scrambling at the last minute to try to house unsheltered individuals during our extreme weather events," Lynch said.
To be better prepared, the City Council recently approved legislation allocating just over $300,000 to an overflow inclement weather shelter.
"Really wanted to focus on getting that plan in place for our unhoused residents, well, well in advance of the winter season," Lynch said. "Caritas is going to be our inclement weather shelter provider for expanded overflow shelter."
Lynch emphasized that information about the shelter needs to be widely available early.
"[It] needs to be available to the public and out there well in advance," Lynch said. "People deserve better. They need to know where they're going to be able to turn to if they do get denied access."
While Fobbs agrees the funding is a good first step, she believes detailed planning and incorporating feedback should be the next priorities.
"Now you're saying we have the funding that is needed to do that, why wouldn't we go ahead and start planning now and get this done. We don't want to see another person die on the streets because they're freezing to death," Fobbs said.
A spokesperson with Chesterfield County said that while they do not have an inclement weather shelter in the county, the Chesterfield Board of Supervisors did approve money to support Richmond's shelter. Henrico County has not yet responded to inquiries about their plans.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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