Charlottesville Tomorrow

Major Mark Van Meter, The Salvation Army Charlottesville corps officer, has offered to convert the agency's thrift store on Cherry Avenue in Charlottesville into a low-barrier homeless shelter.

The City of Charlottesville purchased a vacant building at the intersection of Avon Street and Levy Avenue near the Belmont Bridge for $4 million from the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority in early 2024 with the idea that it could be a good place to build a homeless shelter. By October 2024, the city began planning to build such a shelter on Cherry Avenue, leaving the Avon/Levy site vacant.

The Salvation Army Charlottesville corps officer Major Mark Van Meter stands in the agency's thrift store at 604 Cherry Avenue. The Salvation Army plans to convert the building into a homeless shelter, and will move the store to another location.

Charlottesville's shifting plans to assist the area's growing homeless population.

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Plus UVA shooter pleads guilty and Walton Middle School students talk about cell phones.

The Blue Ridge Health District, University of Virginia Health and Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital conduct an assessment every three years.

That and more local headlines this week.

The nonprofit organization, which is funded through philanthropic donations, grants, and some City taxpayer funds, did not get four major federal and local grants that it applied for this year, said Aleen Carey, Cultivate Charlottesville’s co-executive director.

The local organization was expecting $500,000 in grants that never came.