Continuum of Care official: 191 counted in Harrisonburg; thousands more in 'hidden' homelessness

Caitlin Hietel, HMIS administrator for the Western Virginia Continuum of Care, told Harrisonburg City Council on May 26 that the coalition's January point-in-time count recorded 422 people experiencing literal homelessness across the region, with about 45% of those counted in the Harrisonburg–Rockingham area. "In our whole COC region, we counted 422 people experiencing literal homelessness and 45 percent of those were in Harrisonburg and Rockingham region," Hietel said.

Hietel emphasized the limits of the HUD-defined, "literal homelessness" measure, which excludes people who are doubled up with family or friends or who are self-paying in hotels. She said those people are numerous: "there's approximately 4,000 more people in hidden homelessness in our area, either self paying in hotels or doubled up with friends and family." That hidden population, Hietel said, is harder to identify and often not eligible for HUD-funded prevention or rehousing programs.

Why people become homeless, she said, is complex. Economic factors—lack of income and housing affordability—consistently top respondents' reasons. Hietel noted age and race disparities: older adults (55+) and people who identify as Black are disproportionately represented in the homeless population. "Older adults are 30% of our homeless population… people who identify as Black are 17% of the homeless population but only 4% of the general population," she said.

Hietel described the role of local services and policy tools. She credited Harrisonburg’s navigation center with reducing unsheltered homelessness locally and increasing rehousing outcomes, but stressed that a bed alone is not enough. She recommended a mix of interventions: prevention programs that provide short-term rental assistance, rapid rehousing for newly homeless households, permanent supportive housing (PSH) for people with long-term barriers, stronger partnerships with landlords, and zoning changes that increase 'missing middle' housing types such as ADUs, duplexes and small multifamily units.

Council members and audience members asked practical questions. Hietel acknowledged limits of the current funding rules: many state and federal programs can only serve people who meet HUD’s literal-homeless definition, leaving those in doubled-up or self-pay hotel situations with few options. She also said HRHA’s Housing Choice Voucher program is operating on a flat federal budget as fair-market rents rise, which reduces the number of vouchers available.

Hietel urged the council to invest both in prevention (upstream services and stabilization programs) and in housing production. "We need ADUs, single room occupancy buildings, partnerships with landlords and developers," she said. She also recommended that the council consider targeted local funding to reach people excluded from federal/state eligibility rules.

The presentation prompted follow-up from several council members and nonprofit staff about gaps for older adults, chronic cases on waiting lists for PSH, and how local nonprofits might plug service gaps through coordination and targeted, unrestricted funding. Hietel offered to provide additional data on household composition and local program capacities after the meeting.

The council did not take formal action related to the presentation during the meeting; staff and council members discussed next steps for coordination with the Continuum of Care and local providers.