About Us

The Richmond Task Force on Homelessness was formed in 1997 in response to the growing presence of more chronically homeless men in downtown. They were asked to study what other communities had done successfully to address this problem and to make recommendations to a subcommittee of the Richmond City Council.


The Healing Place Louisville, Kentucky

Innovative programs developed in other regions have shown greatly improved outcomes with the homeless addict and alcoholic compared to traditional existing programs. The Healing Place in Louisville, Kentucky is one of several successful programs that were studied. Operating as a privately funded nonprofit agency, they have helped more than 1,500 homeless addicts to recover. Follow-up studies show the majority remain sober and employed after leaving the Healing Place. More than 65% of the clients who enter the program will complete the program. The Healing Place was recognized for its success as a "Model that Works" by the US Department of Health and Human Services in 1998. This model has been successfully replicated in two other cities; Raleigh, North Carolina, and Lexington, Kentucky. The Task Force on Homelessness recommended that this model be adopted to assist the homeless and addicted in Richmond.
Two facilities currently provide the major portion of our local capacity for residential substance abuse care to the homeless in Richmond, Salvation Army and Good Samaritan Inn. Combined they have a total capacity for 130 men. There are several smaller facilities that are also available, but most have limited resources in the area of substance abuse. All of these facilities have been operating at full capacity for the past several years. Richmond`s Coalition of Homeless Service Providers - Homeward, estimates that 200 to 300 additional beds are needed just to meet the current demand in the Richmond area.

The Healing Place of Richmond purchased and renovated the property located at 700 Dinwiddie Ave. in Richmond. This building is located within an industrial area of the city on the south side of the James River and a short distance from downtown.

The Healing Place was awarded a $1,000,000 grant from the Jenkins Foundation to provide funding for renovations to the building and for operating capital for the first two years.

To make a tax deductible contribution, volunteer, or to find out more about
The Healing Place contact:

Karen J. Stanley, Executive Director
The Healing Place
700 Dinwiddie Avenue
Richmond, VA 23224
(804) 230-1217

You may also donate now:

Click here (1.15MB PDF)
to read about how
The Healing Place
is changing lives.