Fredericksburg EDA’s Homeless Initiative Pivots From Unsheltered To Unruly

The Fredericksburg EDA voted to pivot on its approach to the issue of homelessness in downtown Fredericksburg this week.

The seven member body (not to be confused with EDT, the city’s Economic Development and Tourism Department) voted to dissolve its Unhoused Population committee less than three months after forming it. The EDA will replace it with the Business Relations Committee, which will advocate on behalf of local businesses to the city council and state representatives.

The change of pace was preceded by a discussion on the differences between homelessness and vagrancy.

“There is a growing number, and it’s typically the same individuals, that are sleeping in doorways, that are panhandling, that are standing on curbs in traffic with signs, that are creating safety issues,” EDA member Joel Griffin started off.

Griffin continued that he was appreciative of the efforts of law enforcement, mental health professionals and area non-profits, but that groups “outside” of their areas of focus are posing more and more significant challenges to downtown business owners.

“Who speaks for them?” Griffin questioned.

Dialogue about the unsheltered versus the unruly continued.

“Unhoused does not equal criminality or disruptive behavior. It’s two very separate discussions,” Chairwoman Beth Black noted.

The conversation continued with members sharing stories that included run-ins at their shops and restaurants to opinions on whether or not there were enough laws on the books to address the growing concerns. The group seemed to find consensus around the need to engage the Fredericksburg Police Department more when behavior rises to the level of illegality.

“Are we better off advocating to (Fredericksburg Police Department) Chief Layton?” Black questioned.

Agreeing that the discussion included two separate groups, EDA member Mitzi Brown was a little more direct with how much the situation in downtown Fredericksburg has deteriorated.

“There’s an element all over downtown, or maybe all over the city, that are hell bent on making the patrons’ lives in downtown very difficult. I don’t see them as the unhoused population.”

Brown spoke about the feedback she and others were getting from the city, in addition to her own observations that some of the individuals causing issues were neither unsheltered or unemployed.

“They’re causing trouble just to cause trouble,” Brown declared.

Monday’s shift from dignity to discipline represents a drastic departure from how the EDA initially approached the issue of homelessness in downtown Fredericksburg.

hyperbole was first to report the EDA’s approach to the Fredericksburg City Council in late June with a three-pronged plan to begin “immediately” housing area homeless in motel rooms for as long as was required. It also suggested the purchase of a longer stay facility before an eventual collaboration on Micah Ecumenical Ministries’ Jeremiah Community.

“While we typically see a rise in homelessness during the summer, this year has brought particularly severe challenges, reaching what we would classify as a crisis for everyone involved,” the letter stated.

“We should acknowledge that as a city, we must address this situation with compassion for everyone and treat all people with dignity and respect,” it continued.

The letter also included the offer to manage $2 million in city funds earmarked for the Jeremiah Community with the intent of using proceeds from its earned interest to address area homelessness, which council would end up declining.

The EDA’s letter made no mention of vagrancy, misbehavior or law enforcement.

A suggestion that the EDA fund a street outreach position, made in response by the Fredericksburg Continuum of Care, was met with “skepticism,” according to an August 12th article by the Fredericksburg Free Press. The EDA elected to pass on funding the role, and instead recommended that the City Council consider the opportunity.

That same Free Press article stated that Fredericksburg City Manager Tim Baroody, who was present at the August meeting to purportedly discuss another matter, opined that council had supported the street outreach position in the past and would be open to it in the future.

“It’s a crisis in our downtown. We all see it and live it,” Baroody told the EDA.

This past Monday’s meeting provided an update that the EDA has yet to receive a response.

The EDA’s new Business Relations Committee, which will be tasked with engaging local and state elected officials on behalf of business owners, will be headed by members Joel Griffin and Meredith Schatz. Neither is a stranger to politics: Griffin was a Democratic candidate for State Senate in 2023 and Schatz is the sister of sitting Congresswoman and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger.

The EDA declined to take any questions at Monday’s meeting. A response to questions submitted by hyperbole has yet to be received.