Salvation Army partners with Richmond to expand homeless shelter facility through $15M investment

Dec 2, 2025 - 21:25

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Salvation Army partners with Richmond to expand homeless shelter facility through $15M investment

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A $15 million project is looking to expand Richmond's homeless shelter capacity and services through a partnership between the city and the Salvation Army of Central Virginia.

The new Center of Hope will be located in a Salvation Army building at 1900 Chamberlayne Ave., which currently provides emergency and inclement weather shelter beds as well as four family rooms that can serve up to 17 individuals, in the area.

The renovation will double the facility's emergency shelter beds and serve up to 100 people during inclement weather events, said communications manager Rebecca Turnbull of the Salvation Army of Central Virginia.

The project also aims to expand the facility's space to over 36,000 square feet and increase the number of family rooms.

Turnbull said the Center of Hope will also provide "wrap-around services," or resources and tools to prevent homelessness and help get unhoused individuals back on their feet.

City leaders first introduced plans for the project in 2023. It's part of Richmond's 10-year plan to end homelessness in the city by 2030.

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Last year, the Richmond City Council approved a set of ordinances that officially established the "first-of-its-kind, private-public partnership" and moved forward with the project.

"There's no location in the Richmond area that can house what we're looking to do," Turnbull said.

As part of the partnership's donation campaign, the city also pledged a $7 million investment into the center, contingent upon the Salvation Army raising $8 million in matching funds by Dec. 31, 2026.

In a social post, the organization said it's now in the "home stretch" and is working to raise the remaining $5.5 million to unlock the city's match.

If funding is secured by the end of next year, the project could break ground in 2027, Turnbull said. The tentative renovation timeline is between two and three years.

Visit This is Hope RVA to learn more about the project and donate to the campaign.

As temperatures drop below 40 degrees, the center announced on Monday that it's extending operating hours for the inclement weather shelter this week, from Tuesday, Dec. 2 until Saturday, Dec. 6.

See the extended hours schedule below: