The Blue Ridge Area Coalition for the Homeless aims to make homelessness rare, brief, and nonrecurring.
At BRACH, we collaborate with communities to help individuals and families achieve housing stability, financial health, and improved quality of life.
Vision
BRACH is working toward the day when everyone in our region has a decent, safe place to sleep at night.
History
BRACH was founded in 1998 and serves as the CoC-Lead Agency for our region.
Objectives
BRACH aims to implement short and long-term collaborative strategies to alleviate homelessness in our community.
Community Plan
The Community Plan to End Homelessness is a three-year strategic plan to guide the broad system of care in responding to and reducing homelessness.
We lead collaborate efforts with local organizations to end homelessness.
We are the HUD-designated coordinator of the Continuum of Care for our community. We support system improvement and collaboration to ensure a secure safety net for people experiencing homelessness, and an effective system to help those experiencing homelessness move quickly back to housing. The Service Provider Council, a committee of BRACH’s Board of Directors, provides a forum in which providers share information and address concerns. Contact info@tjach.org for more information.
BRACH adopts the Housing First approach to homeless assistance. This strategy prioritizes providing permanent housing to people experiencing homelessness, thus ending their homelessness and serving as a platform from which they can pursue personal goals and improve their quality of life.
The five tenets of “Housing First” are:
Housing
Immediate access to housing with no readiness conditions
Recover
Recovery orientation
Community
Social and community integration
Choice
Consumer choice and self-determination
Support
Individual and person-driven supports
Our Team
Shayla Washington, Executive Director
Shayla Washington (she/her) started as Executive Director for BRACH on November 1, 2023. Shayla has 15 years of non-profit and human services experience, has worked with The Haven and City of Charlottesville, and served two terms on the PACEM Board of Directors. She has a Master of Arts in Social Entrepreneurship and Change from Pepperdine University, with a focus in homelessness and housing insecurity, and a Bachelor of Arts in English from James Madison University.
Anh Huynh, Administrative Coordinator
Anh Huynh (she/her) started with BRACH on February 1, 2024. Anh is also an operator for the Continuum of Care’s Coordinated Entry phone system, otherwise known as the Homeless Information Line. Anh has a Bachelors in Business Administration from California State University, Fullerton.
2023-2024 Governance Board
Cameron Moore (Chair)
Language Access Coordinator
Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Virginia Department of Health
Taylor Harvey-Ryan (Treasurer)
Grants Program Manager
City of Charlottesville
Matthew Allen, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine
University of Virginia School of Medicine
Deidre Creasy-Quirindoongo
Sr. Director of Adult Rehabilitative Services
Region Ten Community Services Board
Kaki Dimock
Director, Dept. of Social Services
Albemarle County
Misty Graves
Director, Dept. of Human Services
City of Charlottesville
Virginia Leavell
Chief
Charlottesville – Albemarle Rescue Squad
Larry Scott
Community Engagement Associate
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville
Sam Spencer
Self-Sufficiency Unit Program Manager
Albemarle County
Navonya Thomas, M.B.A.
Director of Property Management & Maintenance
Charlottesville Redevelopment & Housing Authority (CRHA)
Blue Ridge Area Coalition for the Homeless 