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Roanoke social services reports Medicaid backlog, high foster‑care caseload and housing gains
Summary
The Department of Human and Social Services reported Aug. 19 that Roanoke has about 3,000 outstanding Medicaid renewals from the federal unwind, issued roughly $40 million in SNAP benefits last fiscal year, moved 220 individuals to permanent housing this year and has 291 children in foster care; officials described steps to manage vacancies and casework.
Gwen Coleman, director of Roanoke’s Department of Human and Social Services, briefed council on the department’s five divisions and pressing operational challenges.
Coleman said the department is managing approximately 3,000 outstanding Medicaid case reviews after the end of the public‑health emergency, a significant backlog that staff are addressing while continuing normal benefit processing. She told council that SNAP issuance totaled about $40 million in the prior fiscal year and that the benefits division is serving roughly 11,000 households.
Coleman also said the Homeless Assistance Team helped move 220 individuals into permanent housing during the past year, and that the summer point‑in‑time count recorded 342 people experiencing homelessness on July 15 (a 15% decline from January). On foster care, Coleman reported 291 children currently in care and described initiatives—including a kin‑first program and weekly high‑security staffings—aimed at finding relatives, improving placements and advancing permanency.
Council members asked for clarifications about eligibility documentation, services for noncitizen residents (including refugee supports and emergency Medicaid), and what the city could do to address high foster‑care and homelessness numbers. Staff said vacancy and turnover in benefit services contributed to workload pressure and that housing supply and rent increases were major drivers of homelessness.
What happens next: Council asked staff to coordinate with regional homelessness partners (BRIC) for a future update and to continue seeking recruitment and training solutions for benefit‑services staffing.
