Challenge: Fearing the deadly impact of COVID-19 on one of Central Virginia’s most vulnerable populations, individuals and families experiencing homelessness, Homeward and the Greater Richmond Continuum of Care (the region’s network of homeless service providers) launched and managed a massive and coordinate response. A variety of programs were created or adapted to ensure the health and safety of those experiencing homelessness and the frontline workers serving them. Among the strategies was the launch of an emergency pandemic shelter and consistent public communications with important facts about the pandemic response.

Solution: Homeward partnered with Gray Ryan Communications to create and implement a COVID communications strategy focusing on clear and concise messages to meet target audiences where they were. As the pandemic evolved, so did the ways in which we communicated. The team leveraged a wide array of tactics, including a weekly email newsletter, direct email updates to key donors and supporters, media advisories for local news sources, social media updates, weekly webinar series, updates posted to a social worker listserv, and media relations to highlight the response and how people could access services.

 

Bottom Line: The campaign was highly effective in reaching target audiences, which ensured that more people in need had access to the pandemic shelter and public and private funding was secured to keep the shelter open. These results led to Homeward serving over 4,400 people and keeping the COVID positivity rate for those experiencing homelessness below the statewide average. Furthermore, Homeward secured $5,000,000 in funding for pandemic shelter, 150% above their objective. Importantly, media coverage about the pandemic response was 75% positive in 2020, 15% higher than objective, which ensured a high level of trust in the work.