The locations open today as the first part of a larger plan to establish additional shelters across the city. Business owners opposed to the Chamberlayne Avenue site have maintained that the plan was rushed without adequate engagement.
While Richmond-area residents were preparing for the Thanksgiving holiday, workers at The Salvation Army were busy putting the finishing touches on their newly approved year-round homeless shelter.
The approvals are first steps in what councilmembers have described as a larger, long-term plan to increase capacity across the city with potentially a shelter in each of its nine magisterial districts.
Following months of planning and pleading from the community, help could soon be on the way following a unanimous City Council vote to build shelters and expand the number of available beds ahead of the cold months.