For emergency assistance please call 804-643-2717. Emergency assistance is not available through email.
These two assistance programs at William Byrd Community House work hand-in-hand to help families with low incomes, children, senior citizens, and individual adults in crisis through difficult scenarios. This dual-track system first works with those in crisis through the Emergency Services program. WBCH staff work to alleviate clients' initial crisis by providing them with food, bill payments for rent, mortgage, utilities, and bus tickets so that clients can attend essential appointments with employers, and medical and mental health service providers. All of our clients leave with an identified stabilization plan related to their families' needs.
Families and individuals needing more in-depth counseling and case management services have the option to work with staff social workers through our Casework program. This program assists clients to discover and sustain long-term solutions to emotional, social, housing and financial challenges they are facing. We do not limit ourselves to work only with a pre-specified problem set: our focus is instead on working with families experiencing a variety of complex needs.
Through William Byrd's unique two-track system of Emergency Services and Casework, WBCH staff work to assist clients to maintain their housing, put food on the table, and reach the supportive services necessary to address the root causes of their crises. Once basic stability is achieved, the focus of the work changes to the identification of each client's longer-term issues. This approach prevents the recurrence of the crisis and allows clients to maintain their stability over time.
We do not charge fees or limit our clients to those having public or private insurance coverage. Therefore, we can provide case management services with clinical support services to adults with limited resources and no insurance coverage. This is significant because this demographic represents a severely underserved population that often "falls through the cracks" of the service provider network.
The Emergency Services Program
Established over thirty years ago, William Byrd's Emergency Services program offers a comprehensive intervention package to deal effectively with family and individual crises. The Emergency Services program accepts calls and walk-in clients from the entire Richmond metro area as well as from the adjacent counties of Chesterfield, Goochland, Hanover, and Henrico. With a focus of homelessness prevention, this program first seeks to provide clients with concrete services: rent, mortgage, and utility bill payments, food and bus tickets.
However, the primary purpose of this program is to help clients to identify a plan and take actions to maintain housing, food and utility services in the home. Interventions available to clients through trained staff include crisis intervention and intensive case management. Professional social work staff at the M.S.W. and L.C. S.W. levels is available to work directly with clients. The program also offers extended intake, follow-up services, and referrals to casework as needed on a case-by-case basis. Our service is unique in that we accept walk-in clients for Emergency Services work.
These social workers conduct structured interviews that include an assessment of the client's mental health status, their financial situation, support system, motivation, and ability to solve their current crisis and prevent future crises. WBCH Emergency Services staff also has the ability to conduct intake by phone is the client is unable to come into the office.
The Casework Program
William Byrd's Casework Program is unique in the city of Richmond in that we focus on working with housed families using a preventative approach. We also do not limit ourselves to work with a particular problem set: the WBCH Casework focus is instead on working with individuals and families experiencing a variety of complex needs. After professional social work staff (L.C.S.W. and M.S.W. levels), complete the assessment process with the client, we may provide intensive case management with clinical support services, refer clients to a more specialized service provider, or work in conjunction with a more focused intervention.
We have concrete service programs available on-site for our Casework clients. This means they do not have to negotiate a separate service provider for each component of need they may possess. This accessibility protects their limited resources as they move toward stability. This also allows them to receive three powerful interventions from one on-site worker: clinical support services, intensive case management, and concrete services such as payments for rent, mortgage, utility bills, food and bus tickets.
Finally, the Casework program uses individualized, client-driven service plans. A service plan is the document that is prepared for each client after the assessment process is complete. This document outlines the client's goals, objectives and tasks to be completed to address identified problems. Our service plans are created by a mutual contract process between the client and worker which respect the dignity of the client and conveys respect for their choices, this fostering a sense of independence and self-sufficiency. This casework process also includes treatment planning, home visits, termination planning, follow-up planning, and booster sessions as requested by clients. Casework is available Monday-Friday from 9-5 pm as well as early morning and evening appointments as necessary.
Food Pantry
WBCH professional social work staff is able to complete an assessment, determine eligibility for food assistance and serve eligible individuals and families food from our on-site food pantry. Clients or workers should call 643-2717 and speak to a Family Services worker to discover what clients need to provide to complete the Intake interview. If an applicant has a case manager from another agency, a referral may be required to receive emergency food. Note: Food is provided on an emergency basis. Applicants who report a chronic need for food (as demonstrated by repeated requests) may be directed to area stabilization services rather than receiving additional food from WBCH.
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For emergency assistance please call 804-643-2717. Emergency assistance is not available through email.
