Chesterfield plans region's first public domestic violence shelter
TL;DR: Chesterfield County plans to open the region's first publicly operated domestic violence shelter by January 2028, after roughly two decades without dedicated brick-and-mortar shelter capacity.
Quick facts
- Who: Chesterfield County government; Clover Hill Supervisor Jessica Schneider leading effort
- What: Planning a county-operated domestic violence shelter with 12 bedrooms
- When: Target opening January 2028
- Where: Chesterfield County, Virginia (specific location undisclosed for survivor safety)
The story
Chesterfield County plans to open what officials say would be the region's first publicly operated domestic violence shelter, after roughly two decades without dedicated brick-and-mortar shelter capacity.
The facility will be in a refurbished county-owned building. CBS 6 reported it will have 12 bedrooms, and The Richmonder reported roughly 16 beds. Officials hope to open it by January 2028. The exact location remains confidential to protect survivor safety. County government will operate the shelter with volunteer assistance, a departure from the nonprofit-run model standard across the region. A county budget surplus provided the funding opportunity to launch the initiative.
The shelter addresses a critical service gap. Last year, Chesterfield recorded more than 8,000 domestic violence calls and nearly 2,000 arrests. Despite serving a population of approximately 384,000 residents, the county has had no shelter since 2007. Survivors currently have no in-county safe housing option; some are relocated to hotel rooms in Richmond through outside organizations like the YWCA and James House, or officers have reportedly paid for rooms out-of-pocket. Last year, the YWCA of Richmond received 178 calls from Chesterfield residents but could only provide shelter to 28.
The need carries deadly consequences. Five of the county's 13 murders in 2024, nearly 40%, involved intimate partner violence, according to county police figures reported by VPM News. Tana Mooney, domestic violence coordinator for the police department's Special Victims Unit, told VPM that is a pretty average number for Chesterfield in a year. Clover Hill Supervisor Jessica Schneider, who told The Richmonder she is a survivor from her first marriage, spearheaded the effort. She emphasized the barrier that lack of shelter creates: "A lot of times if you don't have a place to go, that's one of the biggest reasons why people stay in relationships that are violent or abusive."
The shelter will complement the county's Domestic and Sexual Violence Resource Center, which has operated for nearly 30 years with a staff of four, offering safety planning, counseling, court intervention, and risk assessments. Lindsay Cassada, coordinator of the Resource Center, described the shelter as filling the missing piece: "We've been missing the critical link, which is shelter." Michelle Smith, Director of Juvenile Justice Services, is co-directing the project with Cassada, representing what Cassada called "a lovely marriage" of victim assistance and shelter development expertise.
County leadership has consulted with other shelter operators to learn from their experience as design phases conclude and construction is set to begin.
Key players
- Lindsay Cassada: Coordinator of the Domestic and Sexual Violence Resource Center; overseeing shelter services integration
- Michelle Smith: Director of Juvenile Justice Services; co-directing shelter project
- Jessica Schneider: Clover Hill Supervisor; spearheading shelter initiative
- Tana Mooney: Domestic violence coordinator, Chesterfield County Police Department Special Victims Unit
Key dates
- January 2028: Targeted opening date for the publicly operated domestic violence shelter
Why it matters: For roughly 20 years, Chesterfield residents fleeing domestic violence have had no safe local housing option, forcing survivors to leave the county or stay in unsafe situations. Cassada said the shelter would fill a crucial gap for people who are ready to leave an abusive situation but have nowhere safe to go.
Correction (2026-11-10): An earlier version of this story said the county is building the shelter and that the Board of Supervisors approved and funded it. The design phase is wrapping up and construction is set to begin, and the sources do not report a board vote. The story also said the shelter would have 12 to 16 bedrooms. CBS 6 reported 12 bedrooms and The Richmonder reported roughly 16 beds. Its timeline put the 8,000 domestic violence calls in 2024. CBS 6 reported that figure for last year.
Places
Development timeline
- 2007Last brick-and-mortar domestic violence shelter in Chesterfield County closed: County entered roughly 20-year period without dedicated shelter capacity [source]
- 2024Intimate partner violence tied to nearly 40% of Chesterfield murders: Five of the county's 13 murders that year were acts of intimate partner violence, according to county police [source]
- 2026Shelter design phase wraps up: Schneider said a county budget surplus offered the opportunity to launch the project; design phase concluding with construction set to begin [source]
- January 2028Planned opening of region's first publicly operated domestic violence shelter: Facility will have 12 bedrooms in refurbished county-owned building, operated by county government with volunteer support [source]
Related links
- Chesterfield County Domestic and Sexual Violence Resource Center
- Virginia Domestic Violence Resources
Read the original at WTVR CBS 6 Local →
Sources
- Chesterfield plans region's first publicly-run domestic violence shelter
- 'This is going to be life-changing': Chesterfield to open the area's first publicly run domestic violence shelter
- Murders highlight Chesterfield's need for intimate partner violence shelter