VIRGINIA BEACH — More than 300 local and regional leaders, service providers and residents are expected to gather at the 2019 South Hampton Roads Regional Conference on Ending Homelessness to share best practices and promote strategic planning.
This year’s conference will on March 13, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Old Dominion University’s Webb University Center, 1301 49th St. in Norfolk.
The event, hosted by the South Hampton Roads Regional Task Force on Ending Homelessness, features professional development workshops, presentations from subject matter experts from across the nation, and opportunities for attendees to share their perspectives to create real solutions that will end homelessness, according to a news release from the city.
Topics to be covered include youth homelessness, housing for special populations, employment initiatives, moving on from supportive housing, and regional progress in the areas of housing location and addressing human trafficking.
Faith-based communities, service providers, local government officials, funders, and people experiencing homelessness are encouraged to attend.
Registration costs $50 and includes lunch. Scholarships are available for people who are experiencing homelessness or living in permanent supportive housing. Pre-registration by Feb. 22 is required; there will be no on-site registration. For more details or to register online, visit www.theplanningcouncil.org.
The South Hampton Roads Regional Task Force on Ending Homelessness is a collaboration between the cities of Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Franklin, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Suffolk, Isle of Wight County, Southampton County, The Planning Council, and other nonprofits.
The task force has been nationally recognized as a successful model of local governments working together to solve problems. Since its inception more than 10 years ago, the task force has been key to creating six permanent supportive housing communities (a total of 400 units) for formerly homeless individuals and low-income households, as well as a regional homeless information system and a regional housing crisis hotline, officials said.
For more information about the regional conference, contact Julie Dixon with The Planning Council at 757-622-9268 ext. 3002. For more information about the regional task force, contact Task Force Chairwoman Mary Riley, community programs administrator with the Chesapeake Department of Human Services, at 757-382-2321.
