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Roanoke council launches 'Hope and Home' task force as resident urges broader approach to homelessness
Summary
Council members proposed a mayor's 'Hope and Home' task force to coordinate community partners on homelessness; a public speaker described his personal experience of homelessness and urged leadership to act during the June 2 meeting.
Roanoke City Council announced a mayor-led "Hope and Home" task force on June 2 to convene city officials, homeless service providers, schools, businesses and other community stakeholders to produce an actionable, measurable strategic plan addressing homelessness.
The item is intended to add community representation to existing Continuum of Care efforts and to support expanded housing opportunities and coordinated strategies across sectors, city leaders said.
Mayor and council members described the initiative as a council member-led effort to bring additional voices and coordination to Roanoke's existing homeless-services infrastructure. City Manager Turner said Deputy City Manager O'Brien will take the lead in developing the task force structure and will return to council with a plan; council indicated they expect a report in the near term and noted the task force will not replace the Blue Ridge Continuum of Care or existing service providers.
During the public-comment period before the task force discussion, resident Brian McConnell described his own years of homelessness in Roanoke and said those experiences shaped his view of the city's challenges in education, learning and mental-health supports. McConnell said he published an essay and that his prior experiences at local shelters informed his perspective on what the city must address.
"I got a grounding. I got a foundation to work from," McConnell said while describing his experience of homelessness and work with local networks; he requested council's attention to systemic issues affecting people on the street.
Council members said the task force is intended to supplement—not replace—work by the Blue Ridge Continuum of Care and local providers, adding that the group will bring business, education and neighborhood perspectives to the policy table. Staff said the initiative will identify measurable steps and return to council with details, led by Deputy City Manager O'Brien.
