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About Us
 The
West Piedmont Better Housing Coalition, Inc. provides resources
for continuum of care in Danville, Martinsville, and Franklin, Henry,
Patrick and Pittsylvania counties in Virginia. The Continuum of
Care is a set of three competitive programs based on the law of
the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to address the problems
of homelessness in a comprehensive manner in concert with other
federal agencies.
In the West Piedmont region, we have learned there is need for such
services because…
- 31% live in hotels/motels or apartment voucher arrangements
(paid by public or private agency)
- 36% reside in homeless shelters
- 17% reside in substance abuse resident programs
- 9% reside in domestic violence shelters
- 7% live on the streets (outdoors, abandoned buildings,
automobiles)
(based on 2009 Point-in-Time Survey - 120 adults, and 32 accompanied
children)
 What
this Means…
Most people who are homeless in the West Piedmont service region
are doubled up with relatives or friends, or are living in cars
and do not even consider themselves "homeless".
The West Piedmont area is economically distressed with 13.5%
living below the poverty line.
The education levels of persons 25 years and older with high
school diploma is 67.6% for the region, compared with 81.5% for
the Commonwealth of Virginia.
What we have Accomplished…
- WPBHC has been awarded four HUD grants totaling more than
$370,000 to implement the Homeless Management Information System
(HMIS) database.
- Several agencies in the region are now using the HMIS system
and more are being trained.
- Attained IRS 501©(3) Non-profit Status Recognition for
the coalition.
- Reviewing Permanent
Shelter-Plus-Care, Single Room Occupancy (SRO) and Transitional Housing opportunities.
On-Going Strategies…
We have a variety of strategies to impact current chronic homelessness.
These include:
- Refining Point-in-Time survey methodology to more accurately
count homeless individuals living in unsheltered conditions.
- Establishing HMIS system at all existing shelters and transitional
housing facilities.
- Using current data from 2008 Point-in-Time survey to determine
long-term needs of homeless in our region.
- Focusing on prevention strategies by developing and implementing
Shelter
Plus Care Program.
 The
Challenges we face…
- Ensuring implementation of HMIS by all agencies
- Capitalizing on the data captured by HMIS
- Keeping the Coalition on track and working together
- Implementing a "bricks and mortar" component: transitional
housing
- Successfully identifying and obtaining grants and the matching
funds to continue services
- Seeking a coordinated, collaborative approach to addressing
homelessness.
- Addressing the varied issues that lead to homelessness, such
as domestic violence, substance abuse, unemployment.
- Seeking additional volunteers for the Coalition. Volunteers
are needed to review traditional housing models, plan future forums,
advocate for the homeless, provide fundraisers and more.
Board Members
The West Piedmont Better Housing Coalition is private non-profit
501(c)(3) tax Exempt Corporation. Members of the board of directors
are:
Conchita Terry McIver, President - HOPE Harbor
Gary Wasson, Vice President - Danville Redevelopment and
Housing Authority
Richard Harris, Secretary - Piedmont Community Services
Dianne Morris, Treasurer - City of Danville
Greg Hairston - Virginia Legal Aid Society
Reginald Hayes - Citizens Against Family Violence
Jo-Ann Hickson - Wings Ministries, Inc.
Wayne Knox - City of Martinsville
Marsha Mendenhall - Pittsylvania County Community Action, Inc.
Jon Morris - STEP, Inc.
Mike Patterson - Franklin County Youth Center
Andrea Reynolds - West
Piedmont Aids Task Force
Joan Rogers - Patrick County Department of Social Services
Kathy Rogers - United Way of Henry County-Martinsville
Jim Tobin - Piedmont Community Services
Cynthia Treadway - Franklin County Family Resource Center
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