Red, is a firey red head who, walks fast, talks faster, & suffers from her usage of drugs and being one of the many, many uninvited, or un-shelterd in Richmond. She, walked into Panera this morning. Not seeing me, she gose to the counter to get a cup of coffee. As she pulls out a handful of lose change, I takes some bills and buy her a cup of Jo. We, start talking shop. Where it is best to fly a sign and beg for money. She’s from New Orleans and has a deep south accent so I actually have to concentrate a little more.  She left with the both of us wishing each other good luck and happy new year. About, 30 seconds latter I bust out in laughter. I realized like two business people we had discussed marketing and public relations strategies for panhandlers. Location , location location, it’s always the location. I open up my messages application and send the next mayor of Richmond, Ronda an image of the evil eye. For, just when I think I had written it all somthing new presents itself and I started writing agin. I wonder what opportunities little napoleon and the cold weather shelter will provide me tonight to write about.
Yes, there are the un-shelterd in Richmond, some by choice others for reasons I am not 100% why & speculate to mental illness. Somthing the mayor’s committee will mostly likely gloss over and sweep under the carpet in good Richmond politics fashion.

The welfare system dose not or will not help, people like Red, instead harrolds. Corporate welfare, recently those who where improving a shelter at the city’s Colosseum where cleared out and the building fenced-in, so that those untouchable people don’t return. A new multi use development, is to fill that space. Apartment, shops, and what ever are to be developed for the 900 pound that is the medical college of Virginia. Naturally,  that means the common person will not be able to afford living at that location. One, looks across the United States and can see the results of this blind policy. The most grievous and graphic city being Detroit Michigan. With, oil crises of the 70’s and the slow departure of automobile jobs to overseas. Detroit has lost according to my search on the subject, has lost some 70,000 home’s. Using a force multiple of the size of the average size the the American household it loosely translates into this math equation 70000 x 3.23 = 226,100 soles have left that city due to various reasons. Government, blindness  being beholden to corporate welfare itself. The Detroit museum of art has 65,000 of art that where in peril of being sold off, sometime in the 90’s If my memory is correct. Don’t really know what happened I just vaguely remember a six minutes report about it. Loss of tax revenues,  additon to the homeless industry and homeless individuals inother word’s. Who cares they become invisible people then.

In a 2012, inerview, the then secretary of housing and urban, development, put the cost per person of homelessness at $40,000 per year per tax payer on average. This due to the obvious factors of mental illness, ect, ect. in the 1990s in New York City, it puts street dwellers in publicly subsidized rooms of their own and connects them with drug treatment, job placement and psychiatric services with the goal of stabilizing their lives. Unlike many treatment programs, housing-first initiatives don’t require participants to get sober first. The thing is, very sadly, it’s all already known facts and studies, and the mayor of Richmond needs another rambling, committee to rehash the same old thing. I don’t know maybe he’s illiterate,  go figure.
I copied and pasted below facts from green door organization for consideration.

How does housing affect health?

Studies show that housing is a critical factor in addressing the health concerns of the homeless population. After they are in their own housing, the formerly homeless community is more receptive to interventions and social services support. For most, being housed reduces stress and symptoms related to mental health or substance abuse disorders. Offering the provision of housing to the homeless community decreases the number of visits they make to emergency departments by nearly 61%.

Ultimately, providing permanent supportive housing to the homeless community saves the Tex. S. Taxpayer money:

Health care costs are reduced by 59%.

Emergency room costs are decreased by 61%.

General inpatient hospitalizations are decreased by 77%.

For community members who need assistance with medical and/or psychosocial issues, permanent supportive housing is often the only successful approach to end homelessness.

Safe and permanent housing can give residents the stability they need to organize their lives and their health.
That was written in 2005. Again,  why dose one need another commite? Most likely to justify another federal grants requirement, and the homeless will not be the benefactors of said money’s.