More beds are opening for the homeless.

City Council cleared the way for Fifth Street Baptist Church to finally open a 30-bed shelter, though not before hearing from neighbors concerned about the lack of counselors and social workers to provide wrap-around services.

The council voted 9-0 for a special use permit to allow the church to begin offering shelter services – though there was no explanation for why the legal paperwork was required. The council already had lifted time limits on churches’ to operate homeless shelters.

The action followed the Jan. 5 announcement that an agreement finally was consummated that will keep a 60-bed shelter that Commonwealth Catholic Charities of Virginia is operating at 1900 Chamberlayne Ave. open until April 14.

Fifth District Councilwoman Stepanie A. Lynch, who has been pushing Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s administration to get additional shelter beds, said that the need now is to ensure that behavioral health and other case management services are available to those in shelters.

CCC had begun operating a 30-bed shelter just before Christmas with private funds while awaiting a contract with the city.

The new contract is enabling CCC to expand its operations to 60 beds nightly for men and women age 18 and older.

The city already is supporting two shelters in South Side, a 60-bed operation for men at United Nations Church on Cowardin Avenue and a 40-bed shelter for women and children at RVA Sister’s Keeper on Hull Street.

In total, the city will be directly supporting 190 shelter beds for the winter. It is unclear, yet, whether the operations will open during periods of high summer heat or tropical storms.

Council already has approved spending nearly $5 million on improvements and operating costs for the four shelters, though until now only the two on South Side offered space.

City Hall has long supported overflow shelters for the homeless for the winter to add space after existing shelters that nonprofits like CARITAS, Home Again and the Salvation Army operate are full. As part of its operation, CCC is offering a hot dinner and bagged breakfast for its guests, a connection to a shelter case manager and medical and addiction services from the Daily Planet and the Substance Abuse & Addiction Recovery Alliance of Virginia.

Separately, Ms. Lynch did not introduce an ordinance to establish an inspection program for rental housing. She said the ordinance is still being drafted, and she is hopeful it will be ready for introduction at the Jan. 23 meeting.

Her legislation would be the third attempt to establish such a program. Council members previously introduced legislation in 2007 and 2014, but withdrew proposed ordinances after failing to gain majority support.