City housing and neighborhood-preservation staff briefed council on the city's homelessness system, outreach and encampment response strategy, and then Virginia Beach Police Department leaders gave a separate briefing on oceanfront crime trends, recent firearm interdictions and enforcement challenges.

Housing and homelessness: scope and services

Housing staff described the city's approach to preventing and ending homelessness and outlined system capacity and outcomes. Staff said the city's point-in-time count rose from 311 in 2024 to 327 in 2025 (a snapshot conducted on Jan. 23, 2025), and noted that unsheltered counts vary daily. Staff reported approximately 150 people unsheltered at any given time, an on-the-record by-name list of roughly 318 people (sheltered and unsheltered), and roughly 30–35 known encampments. The city's system total was described as 207 shelter beds with the following breakdown cited on the record: 88 single-adult shelter beds, about 40 family beds (for families with children), 53 beds serving survivors of domestic violence, 10 youth beds, and 16 transitional beds.

Staff described outcomes from recent work: since March 2024 the city reported clearing about 100 encampments, connecting roughly 20 individuals to shelter during those clearances, with 5–10 people subsequently exiting to permanent housing from shelter. The outreach team was described as a five-person unit (one team lead plus four housing navigators) whose role is relationship-building and housing navigation, not enforcement.

Funding and programs

Staff described prevention/diversion funds (approximately $255,000 in current budget authority for households up to 60% AMI), ARPA-funded housing production (a $1,000,000 city contribution to Judeo Christian Outreach Center to build 38 permanent supportive units) and private foundation support (VB Home Now). Council members asked about staffing and capacity; staff noted two additional housing specialist positions had been requested but not funded in the current budget.

Encampments and cleanup

Staff walked through the city's encampment-response process, which uses a multi‑departmental team (housing, parks and recreation, landscape services, VBPD, city attorney, public works, EMS, fire and others) to assess safety and plan clearances. Parks and Recreation contracts with a bio‑waste contractor for hazardous cleanup where needed; the department pays for cleanup costs out of an identified budget line for encampment cleanup. Staff explained the practical limits to shortening the city's formal notice period (21 days) to 14 days: shelter capacity and contractor availability sometimes make a shorter deadline impractical.

Public-safety briefing: oceanfront trends and enforcement challenges

VBPD leaders reviewed five years of data showing a sustained drop in part‑I violent crime overall, and cited a marked reduction in shooting incidents since the department’s initiatives began: a multi‑year decline from a high point in 2020 and a low in 2024. The department said much of that progress continued into 2025 but warned that seasonal "pop‑up" group events—sporadic large gatherings promoted via social media—can produce sudden spikes of dangerous conduct. The police described several recent interdictions in which officers seized firearms; the department reported seizing 28 firearms during heightened operations around one spring weekend and noted some seized guns were linked through national ballistic databases to violent crimes elsewhere.

Police recommended a broader set of legal tools and multi‑agency tactics to reduce risk at the resort. Examples from other resort cities included Miami Beach’s special-event zones, curfews during high‑risk windows, parking and garage-access restrictions, temporary checkpoints, and higher administrative penalties for violations inside zone boundaries. The chief asked council to consider similar legal options and to convene city attorney input; a closed‑session briefing was planned to review legal implications.

What council asked for or directed

Council members pressed staff on clarifying shelter capacity and the resources needed for encampment response. Several members asked for further detail about the HRC day‑services model (how day access and overnight shelter operate); staff clarified that some shelter beds are private or single-occupancy and that day‑service programs serve many people who may or may not sleep at the HRC. Councilmembers asked for additional staffing analysis for outreach, and several members asked for better interagency coordination and more transparent data for neighborhoods experiencing encampments. The police chief and staff were instructed to return to council with legal options and to brief council in closed session on potential enforcement tools.

On-the-record clarifications and outcomes

- The city reported a one‑day point‑in‑time increase from 311 to 327 people but stressed the PIT is a snapshot and not a full count of episodic homelessness. (Housing staff)

- The outreach/housing navigation team was described as a five‑person unit (one lead + four housing navigators) that focuses on trust‑building and connecting people to shelter and services, not enforcement. (Housing staff)

- Since March 2024 the city reported clearing about 100 encampments; of those cleared, outreach connected around 20 individuals to shelter and 5–10 people subsequently exited to housing from shelter. (Housing staff)

- Police described a continued net reduction in violent crime compared with 2020, but they reported spikes during unplanned large gatherings and recommended discussion of extra‑statutory responses (special‑event zones, curfews, parking limitations, and expanded towing or impound powers) that will require legal review. (VBPD)

Next steps

Housing staff and VBPD will return with requested materials. Housing staff said they will continue encampment-response operations, outreach and landlord-engagement work and asked council to consider the staffing and funding requests previously submitted. VBPD said it will continue to seek legal options and coordination with the city attorney and that a closed‑session briefing would address legal considerations for enforcement options.