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Residents propose low‑cost shelters and volunteers; city manager outlines regional shelter planning
Summary
Speakers urged the council to address visible homelessness, proposing inexpensive portable shelters built by volunteers and expanded winter sheltering; the city manager said staff is working with Newport News and regional partners on a regional homeless center and existing winter shelter and day services programs.
At the public‑comment portion of the meeting, Theresa Roundy described visible homelessness around downtown and proposed an approach using upcycled campaign signs to build low‑cost portable shelters for people who refuse traditional shelter, suggesting community service hours as a way for recipients to ‘earn’ those shelters. “We would take, wheels and put on the back… Inside, there would be enough room for her to sleep,” Roundy said, showing a prototype constructed from campaign signs.
City manager and other staff later responded that the city is part of a regional homelessness consortium and works with Help (a regional provider) to provide winter sheltering and day services; they said staff is pursuing a regional homeless center in partnership with Newport News and will consider community suggestions. The manager also invited Roundy’s volunteer concepts for further discussion with the regional consortium and noted existing winter nighttime programs and extreme‑weather sheltering policies.
