VCEH Information

Founded in 1989, VCEH's mission was to prevent and end homelessness in the Commonwealth of Virginia through community collaboration, capacity building, education, and advocacy. VCEH's major work consisted of training and technical assistance to local continuums of care (CoCs) and sponsoring forums, local meetings, and conferences, such as the Housing Virginia's Most Vulnerable Conference. VCEH also served as an intermediary for a statewide AmeriCorps VISTA project to build CoC capacity, published reports such as The State of Virginia's Homeless Crisis Response System, served on the Governor's Coordinating Council on Homelessness and related committees (including the committee organized to implement the state's plan to End Veteran Homelessness). VCEH also advocated at the State level for additional resources, such as funds for support services for homeless veterans and increasing and restoring funds for permanent supportive housing and rapid re-housing. Why did VCEH and VHCIS merge? Why did VHC agree to partner with the merged VHA? Similarities in our work and goals: VCEH, VHC, and VHCIS have worked together for many years, especially on state legislative advocacy - such as the Housing Trust Fund, which has a set aside for homelessness - and funding for other homeless programs, such as Permanent Supportive Housing and Rapid Re-housing. The organizations share the common mission of increasing the supply of permanent, affordable housing for low income Virginians. In addition to advocacy, they have similar goals of capacity building through education and training. Greater policy impact: By joining forces, VHCIS and VCEH will have a greater impact on policy decisions and resources for housing and homelessness at the state and federal level, as well as increasing awareness in the community of the need for and benefit of affordable housing. Shared focus on housing: As the solutions to homelessness have evolved from short-term to long-term strategies, the industry has shifted emphasis from shelters to permanent ...