Shine the Light Chat with HomeAgain’s Antonio Edgerton

SHINE THE LIGHT CHAT

SMBW sat down with Antonio Edgerton Director of Shelter Programming from HomeAgain to discuss how they support those experiencing homelessness in Richmond.

Tell us about your role at HomeAgain.

My current role at HomeAgain is the Director of Shelter Programming. I've been with the organization for three years in many capacities, and I stepped into this position a year ago. I found HomeAgain through community outreach and work with mental health agencies, who identified maintaining housing as being a huge barrier to those in need of mental health support.

Could you describe some of your programs and offerings? What does this look like in practice?

HomeAgain offers collaborative and comprehensive case managing, working with other agencies and community partners to secure viable housing options for our participants. This is not only related to housing but also other barriers like mental health, education, and employment—we bridge out and find community partners that affect every corner of this chronic homelessness crisis.

How does HomeAgain connect people with job opportunities, benefits and other resources?

Upon intake, we identify certain barriers that are preventing our clients from maintaining permanent housing, whether it's finances or income—which can be related to disability benefits and employment—or education and debt. Once we identify these barriers, we come up with objectives and a plan that is unique to each participant. We combat these barriers by introducing our participants to additional support, resources, and community partners and work towards fostering those relationships.

What made you passionate about this issue? Why did you want to go into housing equity?

I'm a product of shelter services. Growing up I was in and out of shelters with my mother, so the issue hits home. In advocating for that, I found myself advocating for equity in housing opportunities— for people to pay fair market and have access to safe and affordable housing.

How do you find your own personal experience has allowed you to better advocate for people who are experiencing homelessness?

For a lot of our participants, being unsheltered isn’t the only barrier they’re facing. It can be hard for them to communicate what they're going through and see how we figure out the solution. Sharing my personal experiences allows me to better communicate with and serve our participants.

What makes housing in-equitable?

Based on the stories and experiences we've heard from our participants, what makes it equitable or inequitable are the resources, accessibility, and support they receive when moving into these units. They may find a unit that's within their price range but has other barriers like public transportation and accessibility to employment. We run across a few opportunities when looking for transitional and affordable housing, but they often come with certain fees, previous arrears, and things of that sort that we may not be able to facilitate directly through our organization. In those circumstances, we have to reach out to private investors or our partners in the Compassionate Continuum of Care to try to find a solution.

"Home Again offers collaborative and comprehensive case managing, working with other agencies and community partners to secure viable housing options for our participants."

Antonio Edgerton, Director of Shelter Programming HomeAgain

How has the current housing crisis changed the game for equitable housing?

I believe It put more people in the fight. We're battling property values going through the roof and a lack of building or investing in shared housing and affordable housing. While we're working on the ground, it's hard for us to also advocate at a legislative level, so having partners like Homeward share resources and express interest in finding a resolution for the situation is essential. Coming out of the pandemic has opened a lot of people's eyes to this issue and how it's worsened. Due to COVID-19, a lot of people were unable to rely on friends, family, or the community for support in ways they previously had, and this ultimately resulted in a lot of unsheltered individuals.

The pandemic heightened everyone's awareness of these issues and the barriers to housing.

What specific changes have you seen in Richmond?

We've seen an increase in emergency housing vouchers, which have been key in our efforts to try to help the unsheltered maintain their housing. Additionally, we're now better able to identify many other barriers and utilize resources like Emergency Housing or Mainstream Vouchers to directly help the at-need community we serve. These resources have been effective tools in trying to relocate and rehouse participants.

How has COVID-19 impact your participants?

A lot of people were laid off or fearful of going to work due to COVID-19, and that downsizing affected us tremendously. You often hear individuals say, “Well, you know, I used to do, etc.”, or “I previously owned a business,” and “I'm skilled and trained to do these things”; when the pandemic hit, everything changed.

We noticed that a lot of our workforce is now in danger of being unsheltered. So many businesses shut down completely, and it affected their ability to pay rent, bills, and access childcare.

What are some of the physical, planning, and design needs of affordable housing spaces?

You just said it—space. There are just not enough options or opportunities for shared or transitional housing. The template that we're operating on is for the years prior, though it's re-energizing to see the City of Richmond's focus shift to providing support for the unsheltered. We cannot find the structures and/or housing to support our growing need and density on our own—it will take all of us to tackle chronic homelessness here in the City.

A great idea would be to turn certain hotels, shopping malls, and strip malls into shared, multi-housing, affordable housing units.

As for the reality we serve in, there are a lot of social dynamics that go with the lack of housing opportunities for families and historically shared housing. A lot of people are not prepared to live in a congregate and/or shared housing setting due to mental health barriers and previous trauma. This can result in the clashing of these worlds and spill out into the street.

What kind of experiences and barriers do families specifically experience?

Luckily, there are generally more federal programs that are geared towards helping families, but housing still presents a challenge. If you look at our traditional single-family home, you have a mom and two or three kids. We're now starting to see a mom with five or six kids, and few housing structures will support that mother in this area. You want these kids to live a quality life where they have their own space and aren't sleeping on top of each other, but the available houses don't accommodate that. Instead, we're seeing a lot of larger families crammed into two, three-bedroom units with one bath.

How can developers foster more equitable housing practices and access?

I think developers would benefit greatly if more would come to the table and hear what those in the community are dealing with at all levels. I believe if they hear these stories and put themselves in these peoples' shoes, they will gain a perspective that will enhance their ability to plan for affordable housing, and at least a percentage of the units developed will be allocated towards affordable housing or fair market rates. This way we can start to work on this together.

How can designers and architects foster more equitable housing practices and access?

The shared housing model and multi-family housing have been very popular at conferences I've attended, and creating additional mixed-income units with a greater number of units for the lower income can bridge the two communities.

How can you advocate for individuals and families experiencing homelessness?

By doing what we're doing right now, we can get the word out so people understand what we're going through here.

Not only just my story and the stories of the people that are related to me but also those from our community partners in the Compassionate Continuum of Care. Another way we are able to facilitate a lot of the needs and support for participants is by speaking to community representatives.

This offers a platform to advocate for our participants outside of our social media tweets and Instagram posts.

Having a platform in the community is necessary, as it enables us to share these stories and give people the opportunity to listen and learn. Any opportunity for exposure goes a long way, whether it's the newspaper, interviews, or people coming by the shelter to volunteer.

The more we have this conversation, the easier it gets to digest. If people are made aware of a problem and more conversations are had around finding creative ways to help, a solution is destined to be formed. Whether it’s a resolution, structure, vehicle, or even just a mechanism, we can incorporate those ideas and make a footprint in the march toward ending homelessness.

What do you want our audience to get out of this discussion?

I would just say to keep an open mind and open heart to everybody’s situation, from the guy on the corner asking for change to the supervisor at your job. Additionally, when you learn about the challenges others are facing, give a little bit more. I'm not talking about financial support; I'm talking about knowledge.

The more you know, the more you can impact certain conversations within the community you work in and serve. Just by being there, listening, understanding, and sharing somebody's story with those in your community, you can have an invaluable impact on those experiencing homelessness.

How can the community get involved in Home Again?

Please visit our website, www.homeagainrichmond.org.

Whatever your interest is, we will program for it. If you want to help collect and organize canned food, we can do that. If you want to volunteer some of your time to help children progress with their education, reading, math, and writing, we would love to have you. There are plenty of other directors just like myself who would also jump at the opportunity for volunteers to bring their specialties into our field. Whether you are a teacher, an emergency service worker, or just feel like you want to help, I promise you there's a space at HomeAgain.

Antonio Edgerton Home Again, Director of Shelter Programs