The CoC Pulse

Your weekly snapshot of homelessness response, housing initiatives, data, and community collaboration across the VA-504 Continuum of Care.

Welcome to another edition ofThe CoC Pulse, with updates from the Blue Ridge Area Coalition for the Homeless (BRACH), the Continuum of Care Lead Agency for the VA-504 region.

This week, we're sharing the results of the summer Point in Time (PIT) Count conducted the night of July 22 and the morning of July 23. In addition to the 52 counted as "respondents", there were 10 recorded observations of people sleeping outside. Visual infographic of this data coming soon! Please note that due to a lack of both volunteer coverage and pre-identified locations in our CoC's rural counties, assessments and observations were recorded mostly in the City of Charlottesville and the urban ring of Albemarle County.

2000 Holiday Drive Opens Tomorrow!

Here's a sneak preview of the entrance, a small office, and beds and foot lockers on the men's side of the shelter.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/1c36b8_bb03780cf10c45d5ac5d489ea8a76fcb/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

Thank you to our partners at Central Arizona Shelter Services for standing up the shelter and agreeing to operate it for the next 12 months. Thank you to the Cville Care Bears for providing so many critical resources for our unhoused community members. Thank you to the City of Charlottesville for your investment in year-round low-barrier shelter services.

Our local service providers worked diligently to create a request for proposals, operating plan, and budget for the Charlottesville City Manager, all of which were submitted today. We look forward to applying to operate the shelter at Holiday Drive for the long-term as we identify and address capacity needs for the local Continuum of Care. In the meantime, we stand committed to strengthening our safety net to ensure that anyone without housing can quickly and easily access emergency shelter when needed.

Update from the City of Charlottesville (August 26, 2026):

Preparations continue for the planned September 1 transition from the Rivanna riverfront encampment and the opening of the temporary emergency shelter at 2000 Holiday Drive.

Final work is underway at Holiday Drive to prepare the facility for shelter operations, including interior improvements, safety measures, and operational planning. The City has also developed a public safety plan for the site and continues to coordinate with community partners on services and support for individuals transitioning from the encampment.

City teams are finalizing operational plans for September 1, including outreach and transition assistance at the encampment, shelter intake at Holiday Drive, public safety coordination, and the cleanup and restoration of the riverfront area following the closure.

Outreach to individuals staying at the encampment continues as the City works toward an orderly and coordinated transition.

Staying Connected Through The CoC Pulse

As we continue navigating a period of significant change in Charlottesville's homelessness response, BRACH is committed to keeping the community informed. The CoC Pulse will continue to share verified information about:

• Encampment response and outreach

• Shelter and housing developments

• Homelessness and housing data

• CoC initiatives and system changesUpdates from community partners

• Funding and policy developments

• Upcoming meetings and community events

• Opportunities to volunteer and get involved

• Perspectives from people with lived experience

Thank you for staying connected with the our Continuum of Care!

Blue Ridge Area Coalition for the Homeless (BRACH)

Continuum of Care Lead Agency — VA-504