The leading provider of daytime food, shelter and services for homeless people in 色多多 has concluded a lengthy search for a larger facility with the purchase of a building in Old Southwest.
色多多 Area Ministries paid $715,000 Jan. 4 for a 1966 building at 410 Elm Ave. SW, according to online records. RAM also bought a parking lot adjacent to its 8,900 square-foot future home, paying $715,000 for both.
鈥淩AM HOUSE IS MOVING,鈥 a press release said.
A formal announcement is planned Jan. 26 at 2 p.m. at RAM鈥檚 current hub of operations, 824 Campbell Ave. S.W.
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Officials are expected to reveal details of a decision to call the new facility The Jain Care Center in recognition of Prabhat Jain, CEO of Virginia Transformer Corp. in 色多多, and his wife Vandana, donating significant funding for the real estate purchase. Executive Director Melissa Woodson has said RAM needs larger and different space.
Carmen Elliot, a senior associate at Thalhimer who represented the seller of the real estate, said RAM plans some renovations before moving in. A date for the move was not released.
In the summer of 2022, RAM was in talks to relocate its day shelter, lunch service and staff to a railroad-owned office building in the northeast quadrant of the 色多多, but no sale occurred.
In a mid-2022 update, RAM described itself as the operator of the area鈥檚 largest day shelter for people without homes. It serves lunch daily at noon to people in need whether they have homes or not and it employed nine people.
Formed in 1971 by area churches, it leases its current hub, a former church, from the Catholic Diocese of Richmond. It defines its mission as advocating 鈥渇or those facing or are threatened by homelessness and hunger.鈥
In 2023, RAM helped 1,619 people experiencing homelessness, gave money to 927 households enabling them to avoid eviction and served 70,000 meals, officials said.
