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Committee forwards $309,000 transfer to fund Caritas surge shelter operations
Summary
Richmond’s Education and Human Services Standing Committee voted to forward an ordinance appropriating $309,000 to support surge overflow shelter operations with Caritas, aiming to expand capacity for extreme-weather nights and bolster year-round case management capacity.
The Education and Human Services Standing Committee in Richmond voted to forward an ordinance appropriating $309,000 to Caritas to fund surge overflow shelter operations during inclement winter weather.
The ordinance before the committee, numbered 2025-163, would amend ordinance 2025-057 (adopted May 12, 2025) by transferring $200,000 from a Heart of Richmond line and $109,000 from the Department of Neighborhood and Community Services to a new Caritas line item. Chairwoman Lynch moved to approve and the committee recorded aye votes from Vice Chair Renton and Chairwoman Lynch; the motion passed.
The appropriation is one part of a broader proposal discussed by city staff and nonprofit partners. DCAO Amy Popovich described a Caritas proposal that would fund three full-time positions — a shelter supervisor, a full-time case manager and a full-time housing navigator — and support surge capacity for about 60 beds for up to 30 extreme-weather nights. Popovich told the committee the vending machines for naloxone are “outdoor and they are actively being installed today.”
Tiffany Ford, director of the Neighborhood and Community Services team, and other staff framed the measure as both an emergency surge response and an investment in year-round services. City staff said the Caritas program has historically served “a couple hundred” people in its year‑round beds and that 24 individuals at Caritas moved into more permanent housing last year; the proposal estimates adding capacity that could move roughly 50 more people through the continuum of care.
Administration staff explained that the $309,000 before the committee is a reappropriation of prior fiscal-year funds to limit impact on the new fiscal year budget. Specifically, staff said Heart of Richmond funds had been consolidated to support higher-impact projects and an additional $100,000 came from unspent funds tied to a vacant homeless-services position.
Committee members asked about flexibility if demand exceeds the 30-night surge assumption; staff said there is a prorated per-night cost and that the city would review budget use and seek next steps if nights used differ from projections. Staff also said about $125,000 of the broader package is expected to cover food, utilities and security for surge operations.
The committee’s action was procedural: forwarding ordinance 2025-163 with a recommendation to approve. No members of the public offered spoken testimony during the hearing. The item will proceed to the next required council review for final action.
While committee members praised the faster timing compared with prior years, staff said the broader system challenges remain and that further coordination with partners and outreach metrics will continue to be developed.
