The George Washington Regional Commission reported Thursday that the entire homeless population of Planning District 16—Fredericksburg and the counties of Stafford, Spotsylvania, Caroline and King George—is now sheltered and has a safe place to quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Linda Millsaps, executive director of the GWRC, called the achievement “an exciting milestone.”
With the exception of about six people who indicated they prefer to live outside, every previously unsheltered homeless person has been moved into a motel, home or shelter, Millsaps wrote in an email Thursday.
“This is truly a major achievement,” she wrote.
The GWRC oversees the local Continuum of Care, the planning body that coordinates housing and services for the area homeless population.
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According to information presented to the GWRC board, the Continuum of Care has moved 64 households from the street to emergency shelters and 23 households into permanent housing since March 15.
It also allocated $308,681 in funding to provide additional emergency shelter to 103 households.
The Continuum of Care also has a partnership with the Rappahannock Health District, the Medical Reserve Corps and area hospitals to ensure that those who test positive for COVID-19 and cannot safely isolate at home have somewhere else to go.
“We are all trying to find ways to end homelessness in the region on a more permanent basis,” Millsaps said. “But even temporarily is great.”