Former Roanoke Mayor Nelson Harris says addressing homelessness requires more than just providing shelter—it demands comprehensive services that tackle mental health and substance abuse challenges increasingly affecting people on the streets.
Harris joined Roanoke Area Ministries’ latest fundraising push Tuesday, promoting the Star City Challenge, a social media-driven campaign asking donors to contribute at least $25 to help complete the $4 million Jain Care Center on Elm Avenue.
“I think we see more fabric of homeless,” Harris said during a live interview on WFIR. “We see not only people that are unemployed but people that are suffering from substance abuse and mental health issues and other kinds of things.”
New Facility Prioritizes Privacy and Dignity
Melissa Woodson, executive director for RAM House, said the new center addresses fundamental needs that the current century-old church building on Campbell Avenue cannot accommodate.
“People are going to show us, that’s a big deal to me because how can you move forward in life if you can’t even get a shower in the morning,” Woodson said. “People were bathing out of sinks.”
The Jain Care Center, named after the family that purchased and donated the former office building to RAM House about six years ago, will feature consistent shower access, private counseling rooms, harm reduction services, mental health support and a Suboxone clinic. The facility will also house Roanoke’s homeless assistance team and the Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services.
Woodson said the configuration of the current building makes confidential conversations impossible. The new space will allow multiple service providers to work under one roof while maintaining client privacy.
“We tried to do that at our current site, it didn’t work because everybody’s listening to everybody else’s business,” Woodson said. “That’s not cool, so I’m very excited that people are going to get the privacy that they need.”
Star City Challenge Makes Giving Accessible
The Star City Challenge targets younger donors and people with limited means who want to contribute to addressing homelessness. Donors who give $25 or more through raminc.org receive a digital badge featuring the Mill Mountain Star to share on social media.
“We knew with our Good Neighbors Fund that people definitely gave us a lot of smaller donations,” Woodson said. “If 10,000 people gave us $50, we would raise half a million dollars. This can be big. It just takes everybody to be a part.”
Harris said the grassroots approach reflects community values and expands RAM House’s donor base beyond traditional large contributors.
“I love the whole impetus of this being such a social media campaign driven by small donations,” Harris said. “If RAM through the Star City Challenge can expand its donor footprint and involve more and more individuals and organizations in its mission, that will only serve for good purposes going forward.”
Homelessness Complexity Has Evolved
Harris noted that coordination between service providers has improved since his time as mayor, when homelessness was also a concern but looked different than today.
“The more coordination we have, the better off the service network becomes,” Harris said. “The fact that so many things will be housed and networked on one site here at the Care Center on Elm Avenue, I think speaks to that.”
Woodson emphasized that addressing homelessness requires community-wide participation rather than finger-pointing.
“There’s been a lot of negativity about homelessness in our area and the fact of the matter is it takes all of us,” Woodson said. “We can’t just point fingers and say this is wrong and that is wrong. What we need to do is join, and I’ve always known in this town people cared and more people care than not.”
Opening Timeline and Compliance
RAM House plans to move into the facility in May and June, with an official opening targeted for July 1. While most areas will be ready, Woodson said the kitchen may take additional time to complete. The organization recently received approval for an elevator, providing full handicap accessibility for the first time.
Woodson recently met for three hours with neighborhood association president Marion Mathers to develop a neighborhood compact addressing concerns about the center’s impact. The conversation comes as The Least of These Ministries has faced zoning citations for services added since receiving its certificate of occupancy.
“One of the things that I’m doing currently is I just had a three-hour meeting with neighborhood association president Marion Mathers and she’s absolutely lovely and I want to work with these people,” Woodson said. “We’re gonna have a neighborhood compact where people see something they can let us know and we can act on it.”
Community Support Expected
RAM House specifically recruited Harris as a spokesperson because of his background combining civic leadership, ministry and local history expertise.
“We chose him strategically,” Woodson said. “We knew we are a ministry, we are interfaith, and Nelson personifies that for us as well as him having been mayor, understanding the problems in our cities and being a historian of this area and having so much love for its people in this town.”
As the July 1 opening approaches, both Harris and Woodson expressed confidence that the community will support the campaign.
“It is an opportunity for all of us to help our most vulnerable neighbors and that really is what this is about,” Harris said. “It’s about being a good neighbor, doing for others what you would want others to do for you if you were in a similar situation.”
Woodson said her faith in the community’s support continues to grow as the opening date nears.
“I started this process not really knowing if this would happen and there’s always been doubt in my mind,” Woodson said. “But the closer I walk to God and the closer that I see everything that I originally thought wouldn’t happen has happened and now we’re here. We’re two months away and I just feel like the Roanokers are going to come through for us because we are leading a charge that is different.”
The Star City Challenge continues accepting donations at raminc.org, where community members can upload photos and receive their digital badge featuring the Mill Mountain Star.
Roanoke Area Ministries – RAM – is still fundraising for what will become the Jain Care Center on Elm Avenue, with room to expand services for those experiencing homelessness. A new campaign gives more people an opportunity to become a Point of Light, via “The Star City Challenge.” Joining the Roanoke Valley’s Morning News host Joey Self and WFIR anchor-senior reporter Gene Marrano live in studio this morning was Melissa Woodson, the executive director for RAM House, and Nelson Harris – pastor, local historian and the former Mayor of Roanoke.
Join the Star City Challenge here
The post RAM House invites Roanokers to join the Star City Challenge first appeared on News/Talk 960-AM & FM-107.3 WFIR.
