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United Way updates council on eviction reduction, CAN referrals and youth employment pilot
Summary
United Way of the Virginia Peninsula reported progress on its Community Assistance Network, eviction-reduction efforts and a youth employment pilot; the nonprofit said regional partnerships reduced some eviction outcomes and provided contact information for the network.
Sharvela West, president and CEO of United Way of the Virginia Peninsula, told the Newport News City Council on Jan. 14 that the organization’s Community Assistance Network has connected thousands of Peninsula residents to services and that collaborative eviction-reduction work has reduced filings and lockouts in the region.
West said CAN — the network’s centralized referral line — has provided assistance since its 2021 launch and that, “From CAN’s inception through June of last year, nearly 10,000 people have received assistance,” including help keeping roofs over heads, childcare and transportation. She gave the CAN phone number: (757) 229-2222, for any Virginia Peninsula resident seeking help.
The United Way described CAN as a “no wrong door” service that mobilizes roughly 150 partners — faith groups, charities and human services agencies — and that state, private and local funds are braided to provide quick assistance. From July through December of last year, West said CAN served 795 Newport News households, helping 1,067 people.
On eviction reduction, West said the peninsula launch of the pilot and court-navigation services have driven measurable declines. She said landlord filings decreased by more than 20% over six quarters and that Newport News saw a 54% drop in executed lockouts between the first quarter of 2023 and the second quarter of 2024. West credited partnerships with judges, sheriffs, nonprofits and faith communities and said the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters Foundation helped extend CAN hours to evenings.
West also described the Peninsula Youth Collaborative, a network of nearly 70 organizations focused on children and young adults. She said the collaborative helped place 130 people ages 16 to 24 in off‑season employment at Busch Gardens Williamsburg as part of an employment pilot and called the collaborative still in its infancy but promising.
Councilman Long praised the eviction work and asked whether an individual should call United Way or a partner such as 4 Oaks when they face imminent eviction. West replied: “There is no wrong door,” and reiterated the CAN phone number to access appropriate referrals. She said CAN currently employs about seven advocates (four full time and the remainder part time) and aims to expand to nine advocates.
West thanked city staff, nonprofit partners and donors and said United Way will continue to serve as a convener for collective impact on housing stability, workforce and youth outcomes. Council did not take formal action on the update.
