Staff
Grants and Data Manager
Our Purpose
Our plan (Congregate Seasonal Shelters) will make over night shelters for the Homeless during seasons of harsh weather in churches.
Here at BRACH we aim to help end the struggles that Homeless people face everyday.
Board of Directors
Cameron Moore
Chair
Interim Executive Director
PACEM
Taylor Harvey-Ryan
Treasurer
Grants Program Manager
City of Charlottesville
Jean Knorr
Secretary
Steering Committee Member, Charlottesville
Area Justice Coalition
Founder and Manager, Cville ID Team
Nichele Carver
Principal
NJC Strategic Planning and Consulting, LLC
The BRACH Board of Directors meets on the fourth Friday of every month from 1:00-3:00 PM, unless otherwise indicated. The meetings are open to the public and held virtually.
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​Misty Graves
Director, Department of Human Services
City of Charlottesville
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​Anthony Haro
Housing Program Manager
Albemarle County
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Paul Martin
Associate Professor of Public Policy, General Faculty
University of Virginia
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Alice Micklem
Assistant Director
Albemarle County Department of Social Services​
History of Our Continuum of Care
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Blue Ridge Area Coalition for the Homeless (BRACH) is formerly known as Thomas Jefferson Area Coalition for the Homeless (TJACH). The organization was founded in 1998, recognizing the increasing number of people sleeping on the streets of Charlottesville.
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In November 2004, PACEM (People and Congregations Engaged in Ministry) formed in response to the number of people living unsheltered, in their vehicles, and doorways of businesses and churches in the downtown area. PACEM serves as the CoC's seasonal, cold-weather shelter, open November through mid-April. Depending on the congregation host, which rotates every two weeks, the shelter can typically accommodate 40 men and 15 women. Non-binary and gender fluid individuals can reside at the site where they feel most comfortable.
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In 2009, TJACH became a 501(c)(3), after President Obama signed the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act. The HEARTH Act codified the Continuum of Care into law, combining multiple grants into one, and shifting focus from transitional to permanent housing.
Previous Executive Directors:
Anthony Haro (2017-2023)
Erin Briggs Yates (2016-2017)
Kaki Dimock (2009-2016)
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In January 2010, BRACH's first Executive Director, Kaki Dimock, was tasked with opening and operating The Haven, a multi-resource day shelter and housing resource center.
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Our CoC is also home to The Salvation Army, which has been serving Charlottesville since 1912. The shelter is program-based and has 28 beds for men and 26 beds for women.
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Vision
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BRACH is working toward the day when everyone in our region has a decent, safe place to sleep at night.
Mission
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The mission of the Blue Ridge Area Coalition for the Homeless (BRACH) is to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring in the VA-504 region by coordinating services, setting policy, and helping individuals achieve housing stability and improved quality of life, acting as the lead agency for the Continuum of Care.
Objectives
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BRACH aims to implement short and long-term collaborative strategies to alleviate homelessness in our community.