Soon after Sam Sanders was elevated to the position of City Manager, the growing presence of unhoused people in Charlottesville quickly became one of the main issues of his administration.
“I understand that we have never had a comprehensive plan for addressing homelessness,” Sanders said on October 2, 2023. “I now commit to seeing that one gets built.”
Such a plan is still coming together and a large component has been securing a site to build a low-barrier shelter that operates year-round. In early 2024, the city purchased one property in Belmont from the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority potentially for that purpose, but moved that discussion over to potentially using the Salvation Army’s thrift store on Cherry Avenue. Both sites encountered opposition.
On September 2, 2025, Charlottesville City Council declined to move forward with an ordinance that would have made it a misdemeanor on public property. One reason given by Councilors was a lack of alternatives.
In October 2025, the city used $6.2 million in surplus funding to purchase 2000 Holiday Drive north of the U.S. 250 bypass. Three nonprofits in what is known as the Continuum of Care are working on the logistics of converting an office building into a shelter.
“The Blue Ridge Area Coalition for the Homeless, PACEM, and The Haven are working alongside the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation to create an operating plan and budget for 2000 Holiday Drive by August 31, as requested by the City Manager,” said BRACH executive director Shayla Washington in an email to this newsletter.
In the meantime, several dozen people have taken up residence along the Rivanna Trail underneath Free Bridge and points north. This week the public conversation about the topic exploded with a series of videos of a man walking through the area being confronted by some who have sent up tents.
In one of the videos, the man with the TikTok handle barkley1399 is followed by several people who make threats to which the videographer aims a can of mace. The man eventually moves away and the video reveals a Charlottesville police officer on bike had been monitoring the event.
When asked about the incident, Washington said people have a right to film on public property, people living there should be treated with dignity and respect.
“We encourage anyone visiting or documenting the area to be mindful of people’s privacy and avoid conduct that could be perceived as harassment or intimidation,” Washington said.
BRACH currently does not have anyone on the ground at the encampment to provide outreach but recently put out a request for proposals for firms to do the work on their behalf.
“BRACH’s Board of Directors are reviewing those proposals now and anticipate having more dedicated outreach in place by August,” Washington said.
Sanders has been providing updates about the situation at regular City Council meetings but the one on July 1 was cancelled. Afton Schneider, the city’s Director of Communications and Public Engagement, had no update when asked on July 8 but confirmed there is an active police presence at the camp.
“Every person deserves to be treated with dignity, and every member of our community deserves safe, healthy, and accessible public spaces,” Schneider said. “We are not encouraging anyone to avoid the area.”
Senator Creigh Deeds (D-11) said in an email to this newsletter he is watching the situation at Free Bridge closely. He helped secure an amendment in the recently adopted Virginia budget that would provide funding for either the low-barrier shelter at 2000 Holiday Drive or the expansion of Salvation Army’s existing shelter on Ridge Street.
“Out of the amounts in this paragraph, $7,000,000 the first year is provided to the City of Charlottesville for the development of a transitional housing and life skills training facility to increase capacity to serve individuals and families experiencing homelessness in the community,” is the exact wording of the amendment.
The Salvation Army launched a $28 million capital campaign in May to raise funds for a project to double their capacity from 55 beds to 110 beds. Charlottesville has committed $3 million in funds to the project.
In March, the Continuum of Care presented a cost estimate of $8.5 million to City Council for 80 overnight beds at the 2000 Holiday Drive but that number is now out of date pending the development of an operational plan.
Deeds said it is up to City Council to determine how they want to use the $7 million.
“My priority is the low barrier shelter, but we can’t get what we need here without both the low barrier shelter and the Salvation Army facility,” Deeds said.
Council next meets on July 20.
Previous coverage
- Chief Kochis refutes charges of police brutality in Market Street Park, October 3, 2023
- Sanders outlines work plan, homeless intervention strategy, October 9, 2023
- Council to consider $3M request from CRHA as well as sales agreement for $4M purchase of 405 Avon, February 20, 2024
- City Manager Sanders provides update on Charlottesville’s efforts to assist the unhoused, September 12, 2024
- City Council ends consideration of anti-camping ordinance after pushback from homeless advocates, September 9, 2025
- Sanders provides an update on efforts to address homeless population of Charlottesville, September 19, 2025
- Charlottesville City Council briefed on low-barrier shelter by groups that provide the programming, March 27, 2026
- City Council presented with The State of Homelessness 2026 by four nonprofit groups working on the issue, May 12, 2026
- Salvation Army launches fundraising campaign for Center for Hope, May 15, 2026
- Many details remain to be worked out for how three groups will work together at Charlottesville’s future low-barrier shelter, May 15, 2026
- Sanders gives first progress report on operations plan for 2000 Holiday Drive, May 22, 2026
- Albemarle Supervisor Pruitt provides short briefing on low-barrier shelter plan, May 29, 2026
Before you go: The goal of Town Crier Productions is to increase awareness about what is happening at the local, regional, state, and federal government levels. Please share the work with others if you want people to know things. Paid subscribers cover the cost of conducting research for this article which was originally published in the July 9, 2026 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement. You can either subscribe through Substack or make a charitable contribution.
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