The Hanover County Community Profile: Homelessness in Hanover County

Hanover County is fortunate that its population of homeless citizens is quite low in comparison to surrounding counties and the City of Richmond. The county relies on services provided in the greater Richmond area to accommodate the county's homeless citizens (those who claim Hanover County as their last residence).

Homeward, Inc., a program operating under the auspices of the United Way Services of Greater Richmond coordinates homeless services in the area, and conducts research on issues related to homelessness in our area. In January 2004, Homeward, Inc. conducted a study on the characteristics of persons who are homeless in greater Richmond. Homeless adults in emergency shelters and transitional housing programs on a single night in January 2004, were surveyed; 449 surveys were completed, a 70% response rate based on the census of adults in temporary housing on that evening.

Researchers found that 1% of the population surveyed named Hanover as the last locality where they had their own housing and had last "doubled up", meaning that upon losing their own homes, had moved in with someone else.

Of those sampled, 1% who had their homes in Hanover County were adults in families, 1% were single adults and 3% were single women; there were no single men in this population. Of those naming Hanover County as the last locality in which they had doubled up, 2% were adults in families, 1% were single adults, 2% were single women; there were no single men.