HELP HOPE HEALING

Todd Walker And His Mission To End Hunger And Homelessness In Virginia Beach

ORIGINALLY FROM SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, TODD WALKER received a full football scholarship to Indiana University. He participated in four nationally televised bowl games. He earned a free agent contract with the Denver Broncos that had him catching passes from John Elway. And then a career-ending injury.

“When sports was taken away, I chose the joy of helping people,” says Mr. Walker. “Everyone deserves a safe place to rest their head at night.”

He first worked with with Veterans experiencing homelessness at Volunteers of America for two years and 10 years in community corrections. Today, Todd Walker is the executive director of the JudeoChristian Outreach Center in Virginia Beach, devoting his life to helping the hungry, people experiencing homelessness, and local veterans in need.

Without Todd Walker, people like Timothy Stumpo may not have had a second chance. Mr. Stumpo became homeless in central Pennsylvania when he was 16. His parents moved away and put all of his belongings on the porch. To support himself, he quit high school and went to work at a furniture factory. He came to Virginia Beach by bus when he was 18 looking for work. But so many jobs closed in the wintertime and he became homeless again.

One night in 2018 when Mr. Stumpo was staying in the winter shelter on Witchduck Road, Mr. Walker came into the shelter to meet everyone.

“He shook my hand when we first met and he listened to what people had to say,” said Mr. Stumpo. “He helped me get back on my feet and get some furniture.” To this day, Todd and Tim remain friends.

“We often talk to see how things are going,” says Mr. Stumpo. “I am working to get my GED and when I go to the beach now it’s not as a homeless person.” Todd Walker’s goal for the Judeo-Christian Outreach Center (JCOC) is clear -- eliminate homelessness in Virginia Beach; tackle recidivism; and ensure homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurring. Walker has implemented evidence-based practices to attain this goal by eliminating barriers to housing.

In addition to Hunger Relief programs, JCOC facilitates a 55bed shelter, transitional housing program for homeless veterans, permanent supportive housing for people with disabilities and who have been homelessness long term. The day support program is the entry point to those housing programs. When people come in to take a shower and do laundry, they are also connected to resources. JCOC’s Rapid Rehousing initiative helps people secure housing through landlord partnerships, financial assistance and housing stability services.

With the goal of helping even more people, JCOC is in the middle of its $14 million Help Hope Healing capital campaign. The four existing structures at its 1053 Virginia Beach Blvd. campus will be replaced by one 3-story building. It will include 38 affordable housing units, a more efficient dining hall/kitchen, and administrative offices.

“The longer you are homeless, the more likely that drugs and other problems will creep in,” says Mr. Walker. “By implementing a Housing First philosophy, we meet them where they are and get them into housing as soon as possible so the healing can begin.”

Mr. Walker’s experiences also include work in the areas of substance abuse, mental health, juvenile justice, and adult corrections. He has certifications and training in the areas of Housing First, Trauma Informed Care, Motivational Interviewing, NonProfit Management, Nonviolent Crisis Intervention, and Aggression Replacement Training.

A gifted motivational speaker and expert in the Human Services field, Walker was awarded the Daniel M. Stone Humanitarian of the Year Award from the Virginia Beach Human Rights Commission in 2018. JCOC was named Non-Profit of the Year by the Hampton Roads Chamber in 2022.