Area churches have launched their wintertime emergency shelter for homeless people in the Historic Triangle – including people who work but can’t afford housing.
The Community of Faith Mission rotates its program through 18 churches – 12 of them in James City County – each of which provides a week of overnight shelter and food for an average of 25 people a night, a spokesperson for the group said.
About a quarter of the people who stay have jobs -- most of them in the local hospitality industry -- “but they can’t afford the housing” said the spokesperson, who asked not to be identified for reasons of personal safety.
The 14-year-old program depends on the generosity of area churches because our local zoning laws will not permit anyone to set up a full-time homeless shelter in a single building, the spokesperson said.
James City County and Williamsburg both require safety inspections of each church locati…