Dear Petersburg City Council:

Petersburg is in the midst a homelessness crisis since COVID-19, with no public shelters-- families are sleeping in cars, tents, and benches each night. In order to substantially reduce homelessness in Petersburg, the City must fund a greater number of deeply subsidized affordable housing units targeted specifically to families and individuals who are homeless.

A program for rapid rehousing of homeless people with certain medical issues in Petersburg is among 28 projects across Virginia sharing more than $24 million in affordable- and special needs-housing loans through the Virginia Housing Trust Fund, the governor's office announced.

High Street Apartments, a joint venture of the Richmond-based Southside Community Development and Housing Corp. and UnitedHealthcare, will receive a loan of $500,000 to develop an 11-unit building as part of its pilot program to find permanent shelter for people who have found themselves out on the streets more and more often. It is part of the partnership's main goal to provide not just housing, but also healthcare, transportation, broadband access, and employment opportunities and skills training.

"With this round of funding, we will advance projects that strengthen our communities and help ensure every Virginia resident has the opportunity to build a healthy, productive life in our Commonwealth," Gov. Ralph S. Northam said in a statement accompanying the announcement.

In order for Petersburg City Council to approve funding for a housing plan with the reality of record homelessness and admirable progressive values, we urge you to immediately direct your housing development agencies to increase the total number of housing units for homeless households. These goals are imperative in order to meet the unprecedented need for permanent housing available for occupancy by homeless families and individuals living on the streets in Petersburg.

The target audience of the venture is those homeless in the category of "under 30 percent of the AMI on Medicaid program." That covers people with medical conditions whose income is considered "extremely low" by the U.S. General Accounting Office. Essentially, these people will be eligible to receive housing-rental vouchers to live in High Street Apartments as they transition out of homeless life. United Healthcare is working with community-housing associations across the country on plans such as this one.

The VHTF is coordinated through the state Department of Housing and Community Development. During the current fiscal year, more than $55 million was invested into it by the General Assembly, and Northam has proposed upping that to $70.7 million. It is designed to finance affordable-housing initiatives supporting low- and moderate-income families, and homeless-reduction grants.

Given these building blocks, homeless housing production on the scale we recommend is achievable. More importantly, it is absolutely necessary to produce a meaningful and historic reduction in modern mass homelessness. By following our recommendations, you can undoubtedly cement your legacy as a leader in progressive values and evidence-based responses to challenging social problems.

Respectfully,