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Virginia Organizing urges Portsmouth council to accelerate shelter capacity and warming stations after early snow event
Summary
GW Thompson of Virginia Organizing told council an early snow event left people vulnerable and asked the council to expand emergency shelter capacity, accelerate permanent shelter development and strengthen outreach; he requested updates and that warming stations be placed on a future agenda.
During non-agenda public comment at the council's final meeting of 2025, GW Thompson of Virginia Organizing urged the council to expand emergency shelter capacity, accelerate development of permanent shelter and strengthen outreach after an unusually early snow event that caught many people off guard.
Thompson described prior interagency coordination during a snow event — involving emergency management, Department of Social Services, volunteers for the homeless and local nonprofits — and thanked staff for their work. He said the organization met with Anna McCray, deputy coordinator of emergency management, who presented on the role of emergency management services, sheltering and distribution of cold-water kits.
Thompson requested council agenda time for updates on the permanent homeless shelter and the status of warming stations and urged the city to "act swiftly to expand emergency shelter capacity, accelerate the development of permanent shelter, and strengthen outreach to those in need." He closed by expressing hope that a planned meeting on Dec. 17 addressing warming stations would include relevant agencies.
The transcript records Councilman Hugo earlier reporting on homelessness-related services (4Kids) and a ribbon cutting for Lexington Reserve senior housing, which added 105 one- and two-bedroom units for residents 62 and older; those remarks were delivered earlier in the council-member reports portion of the meeting.
