ROANOKE, Va. – Roanoke’s new homelessness task force held its first meeting Tuesday evening at the Berglund Center, bringing together community members, service providers and city leaders to begin developing long-term solutions to address homelessness.
The Hope and Home Task Force was created by Mayor Joe Cobb in August to study the root causes of homelessness in the city and propose sustainable, actionable ways to address it over the next 12 to 18 months.
“This is really about engaging the larger community, helping dispel some of the myths and the stigmas, some of the challenges, being honest about them but also recognizing the complexities involved in homelessness,” said Cobb.
Members of the task force are volunteers representing a variety of professional expertise and lived experiences.
“The hardest thing that I had to do was let the community know I was broke, that I was on limited assistance, that I was on housing assistance,” said Alyshia Merchant, one of the volunteers. “Nobody knew that.”
Merchant struggled paying for housing when she was diagnosed with Lupus. As a real estate agent, she’s hoping to help others who struggle with finding affordable housing.
“I feel like that’s where we struggle most as a community,” she said.
The meeting marked the group’s first opportunity to share personal connections to homelessness and begin discussing its role in shaping citywide strategies.
The creation of the task force comes as homelessness in the Roanoke region remains a pressing challenge. Data from the Blue Ridge Continuum of Care shows homelessness was declining prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but has since increased sharply.
The region recorded a 54% increase in overall homelessness in 2023, the largest one-year increase ever documented. Another 20% increase followed in 2024. This year, the number of people experiencing homelessness dropped slightly, decreasing by 3.2%.
Officials said significant reductions were recorded in family and youth homelessness in 2025, but chronic and unsheltered homelessness remain high. Rising housing costs also continue to drive the crisis. Average rent for one- and two-bedroom apartments in the Roanoke area has increased by more than $300 over the past five years, according to the Continuum of Care.
The task force will meet again on October 15, as well as regularly through the next year. Members are expected to deliver recommendations that strengthen collaboration among local agencies while expanding affordable housing options.
Roanoke City and Blue Ridge Continuum of Care currently provides services like housing vouchers, emergency shelter, street outreach, and targeted homeless prevention programs.
According to Blue Ridge Continuum of Care, you can find housing assistance by calling 211 Virginia by dialing 2-1-1, or contact Central Intake at 540-853-1163.