ROANOKE, VA – When people picture homelessness or addiction, certain images often come to mind.
“What people see are the quote ‘street people.’ They don’t see what’s going on inside of R.A.M. House. They don’t see what’s going on inside of the Rescue Mission,” R.A.M. House Director Melissa Woodson said.
Woodson says the reality is often hidden — from families in shelters to seniors on fixed incomes.
“Especially post-COVID, because the rents went up $300-$400. So, interestingly now at the R.A.M. House, what we’re seeing are people’s grandmothers and grandfathers, and disabled people, that made it before, and are no longer making it,” Woodson said.
January’s point-in-time count found 342 people experiencing homelessness in Roanoke.
Mayor Joe Cobb says that’s why the city has made housing a top priority.
In his state of the city address, he pointed to progress: 265 people housed in the past year, 76 now in permanent housing, and more than $110,000 in move-in assistance provided.
“Along with housing, we need supportive services that are in some cases 24/7,” Cobb said.
That’s also the goal for R.A.M. House, which is planning a new location designed to offer not just shelter, but wraparound services for people working to get back on their feet.
“The fact of the matter is, no matter how much housing we create, if people are not ready to go into housing, it’s not going to work,” Woodson said.
Bailey Medeiros with Roanoke Valley Collective Response says the connection between stability and readiness is where substance use often comes in.
“Someone that experiences addiction is going to experience these other challenges as well, and someone that wants to thrive in recovery is going to need to have supports of housing, stable housing, transportation, secure food, family support,” Medeiros said.
Not everyone experiencing homelessness struggles with addiction — and not everyone battling addiction is homeless — but both carry stereotypes that can keep people from getting the help they need.
“I am a recovering heroin addict. There are stereotypes, but when someone says, ‘but you don’t look like that,’ but this is what someone in recovery looks like, this is what addiction looks like,” Medeiros said.