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Committee advances $309,000 to Caritas for winter surge shelter operations
Summary
A Richmond City committee voted to forward an ordinance recommending $309,000 in reappropriated funds to Caritas to support surge overflow shelter capacity during extreme winter weather and to bolster year‑round case management supports.
The Education and Human Services Standing Committee on Thursday voted to forward Ordinance 2025-163 to the full City Council with a recommendation to approve $309,000 in reappropriated funds for Caritas to operate surge overflow shelter capacity during inclement winter weather.
The funding would transfer $200,000 from a one-time line called Heart of Richmond and $109,000 from the Department of Neighborhood and Community Services (DNCS) to a new line item titled “Caritas,” the clerk reported during the public hearing on the paper. No members of the public registered to speak on the ordinance during the hearing.
The recommendation matters because the city’s core inclement-weather provider, the Salvation Army, operates 106 beds and city staff said extreme weather last winter — 28 nights of very cold or snowy conditions — exposed the need for additional capacity. The Caritas proposal discussed at the meeting includes a surge component of up to 60 beds for up to 30 nights during extreme weather and additional staff to support year‑round shelter and housing navigation work.
Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Amy Popovich told the committee the city and Caritas worked on a two-pronged plan: a surge response for extreme-weather nights and enhanced year‑round case management to move people through the homeless services continuum. "We have our next coordinator who will start Anna Jones on Monday. Additionally, stay tuned for our naloxone vending machines. They're outdoor and they are actively being installed today," Popovich said.
City staff described the broader Caritas proposal as a $618,000 package that would fund three full-time positions — a shelter supervisor, a full-time case manager and a housing navigator — and operating costs for surge nights. The ordinance before the committee would reappropriate $309,000 from prior-year funds; staff said the Heart of Richmond balance was available because it was a short-term line in FY24–25 and the DNCS amount came from unspent funds tied to a vacant staff position.
An administration representative told the committee the surge appropriation includes money targeted to food, security and facility costs for the surge nights and that the city would track nights used and remaining budget. "If we use 15 out of the 30 nights, we'll have a conversation next March about where the budget is," the administration representative said, noting that additional nights beyond the funded 30 would incur prorated costs.
The committee voted to forward the ordinance with a recommendation to approve. Vice Chair Breton and Chairwoman Cheryl Lynch recorded “Aye” on the roll call and the motion carried.
The ordinance now goes to the full Richmond City Council for consideration; committee members and staff said they would return with performance numbers and tracking if the funding is used during the winter season.
