Safe, affordable housing for vulnerable people: How a Virginia organization is confronting homelessness

71-year-old retired CNA's belongings photographed in the emergency room as she struggles to find a housing solution. (Courtesy of Lisa Suhay)

Between treating medical conditions, addressing mental health and finding a roof to live under, it can be a challenge for the estimated one in every 500 Americans experiencing homelessness to find stability in life, especially when they have unique needs. 

An agency based in Norfolk, Va., is trying to change that. 

Johnson Homes, a placement agency founded in 2022 by investor and house flipper Janice Miles, is working to place seniors and other vulnerable individuals with certain health needs in homes that double as affordable care facilities. 

The agency is named after Miles' own mother, who was diagnosed with early onset dementia at 55, as a "representation of her life and her spirit."

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Janice Miles (right), founder of Johnson Homes, named after her mother Janice Johnson (left). (Courtesy of Johnson Homes) (Courtesy of Johnson Homes)

Working the housing system to find safe and stable housing for her mother proved to be a challenge, and she aims to alleviate that challenge for others who find themselves in her position.

"Many people don’t have the support, the family, to find these things out for them," she told Fox News Digital.

While the Fair Housing Act provides for regulations on shelter accessibility, there is still a world of resources homeless individuals need to navigate to obtain health benefits and other basic needs. 

Through partnerships with local organizations, Johnson Homes provides wraparound services and case management to the homeless community, to people with mental health disabilities, and to others who need help finding stability in life. 

Insurance, she said, only covers so much when it comes to people's ability to live. 

In some cases, Johnson Homes assists individuals transition back into their own home or a family member's home with support from case management and resources to get back on their feet. 

"Sometimes our strength is not within ourselves, but the partnerships we make around us," Miles said.

Miles estimates the agency has helped close to 60 people since its inception, with about 25 currently placed in housing. 

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An example of a Johnson Home in the Hampton-Portsmouth area of Virginia. (Courtesy of Johnson Homes)

Johnson Homes, she said, is not a group home, but rather a placement agency that works as a liaison between homeless individuals and homeowners and investors as well as case management. She also works with home care agencies, telecommunication companies and attorneys to help with disability claims. 

"We’re pulling resources together for those who need it the most," she said, adding that Johnson Homes is digging into "minimal pots" to find adequate funding for necessities like food and clothing.

Miles said Johnson Homes does not receive state funding, and charges residents rent. In exchange, it provides room, board and utilities as well as case management and an on-site coordinator. 

As a qualified mental health professional, Miles said she's used to gathering resources to help people become stable. But with policies around COVID-19, she noticed vulnerable populations, including elderly individuals who had been hospitalized for various conditions, were suddenly facing a housing crisis. 

Example of a Johnson Home in the Hampton-Portsmouth area of Virginia. (Courtesy of Johnson Homes) (Courtesy of Johnson Homes)

What happened, she explained, was that hospitals had been retaining individuals who might not have needed an inpatient level of care any longer while COVID-19 policies were still in place. So when those policies were lifted, they only had a limited amount of time — roughly a month — to find housing. 

"That really opened our eyes to a bigger problem," she said of the elderly homeless. "They really need some help — they really need some support."

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Miles teamed up with Lana Pressley from the Four Rivers Project, a nonprofit that aims to help recidivism in the Norfolk, Va., area, including those with mental health and substance abuse issues, as well as "people who have been disenfranchised through no fault of their own." 

The group is one example of Johnson Homes joining forces with a nonprofit to best meet the community's needs. They created a memorandum of agreement so they're able to share resources. 

"We have to recognize that homelessness is a condition just like any other condition we have in our society," Pressley told Fox News Digital. "Who goes over and talks to these people? Who starts a conversation with them?"

When it comes to maintaining a productive life once off the streets, Pressley said, "case management is critical," including the emotional aspects of helping an individual work the system for medical and financial resources. 

For one woman in particular, the system Johnson Homes implemented is working.

Ms. Kathy — a homeless, retired CNA in need of housing suitable for a 71-year-old with health needs — recently settled into a Johnson Home after a years-long battle with homelessness reported by Fox News Digital in 2022.

After a 20-year career in nursing, assisting patients after cardiac surgery, she fell on hard times and found herself sitting behind a Burger King dumpster in winter weather. With health conditions and a mobility device, it was challenging to find a shelter that would take her in right away. 

Good Samaritan Lisa Suhay was witness to the process it took to find placement for her. She told Fox News Digital that the system in place for homeless individuals to stabilize is not ideal for those who have a hard time processing official forms that require other types of documentation. 

Elderly individuals in particular, Suhay said, carry a lot of shame around being homeless and are less inclined to reach out for help — and when it comes to using technology to find shelter, it's an even bigger burden. 

She likened the Johnson Homes system of partnerships to "Stone Soup" — the folk tale in which the end result is built piecemeal. 

"Many hands make light work, and this could be light work for America," she said, adding that this system could be getting homeless off the streets at a "stunning" rate. 

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Suhay is helping the Four Rivers Project through a GoFundMe page, "Elderly Homeless: Help fund a real solution," which in turn helps fund Johnson Homes. 

Norfolk, Va., Mayor Kenny Alexander told Fox News Digital, in part, that while poverty in his city has "decreased by 4.1%, homelessness presents persistent challenges, often exacerbating chronic health issues due to unstable housing."

He added that he's urged the city manager to create a multi-agency task force in addition to enhancing Norfolk's emergency shelter, and providing households with rental and utility assistance to prevent evictions. 

Could Johnson Homes be a model for a longer-term solution to homelessness?

"We’d love to spread and show our system and what we have," Miles said. "The homeless situation is not going anywhere, and the population is getting older."