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Newyew22 t1_iu8fmz2 wrote

Reply to comment by carbonfiberx in People suck (Begin rant) by CoffeePeddlerRVA

You’re 100% right on a few important points: homelessness says way more about larger society than the morality of the individuals who are experiencing it, and that about structural problems require structural solutions. But, I think it’s important to point out that Richmond does have a comprehensive approach to homelessness that prioritizes housing first. In fact, in a metropolitan area with pretty abysmal regional cooperation, homelessness is one area where the system works exceptionally well — so well that just last week, HUD just awarded the system an annual grant of $4.7M to address youth homelessness on top of its usual allocation.

The main driver of increasing homelessness here and elsewhere is the accelerating unavailability of affordable housing. In Virginia, it’s estimated there’s a shortage of 200,000 affordable units to meet the needs of its residents, so you can imagine the pressure that puts on systems meant to make homelessness “brief, rare, and non-recurring.” So, here are structural solutions I recommend advocating for: (1) Right to Counsel for people facing eviction. Most evictions here are pushed through by landlords uncontested, and right to counsel in other jurisdictions has slowed the number of evictions filed and executed, keeping people where they live. (2) At the Richmond City Council level, support the movement to assess affordable housing properties at a lower tax rate, so that affordable housing providers can continue developing new properties and supporting people with low incomes. (3) At the counties level, push for zoning changes that allow for denser development, including in some cases, more affordable housing being brought online. We can’t have a scalable solution to housing affordability one single family lot at a time. (4) Tell your state GA representatives you want increased allocation to the state’s affordable housing trust fund. This is the pot of state money that for- and non-profit developers draw from to build affordable housing, and the current annual budget line is $75M. Sounds good, but when, say, it costs ~$300,000 to bring online a single new unit of permanent supportive housing for people who’ve experienced chronic homelessness, you see how millions only get you so far. We should be talking billions in that trust fund.

In conclusion, Richmond’s homelessness services system does a truly amazing job, and it’s our responsibility to come alongside them with structural solutions that help reduce the volume of clientele they serve to more reasonable levels

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Charlesinrichmond t1_iu9wu8u wrote

what homeless housing does the funding provide? I know a homeless woman who could use it.

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Newyew22 t1_iua0833 wrote

Broadly speaking, the funding provides support for the programming and operations of organizations that provide shelter and supportive housing.

For people who are currently experiencing homelessness or within three days of losing their housing, they can enter with the system — though not necessarily a shelter — through the Housing Crisis Line at 804-972-0813. If not within three days of becoming homeless but still struggling, the Housing Resource Line is the one, at 804-422-5061. Both lines are experiencing more call volume than ever before, but they’re staffed by outstanding people working in coordinated ways on behalf of the system.

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Charlesinrichmond t1_iua67nu wrote

yeah, she's been in touch but no luck, still only sleeping indoors when I give her money for a hotel. She's not a perfect person, but she's a good person

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Newyew22 t1_iuao13i wrote

I’m so sorry to hear this about your acquaintance; I know it can be really tough to see people struggle this way.

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Charlesinrichmond t1_iudrurc wrote

not so much an aquaintance, more a homeless woman who has become kind of my charity. I dunno, maybe that makes her an aquaintance.

She'd really benefit from an SRO.

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Newyew22 t1_iudt93f wrote

If she’s been entered into the database through an outreach worker or the phone number I mentioned above, unfortunately, it’s a bit of a waiting game. Clients are prioritized for movement into shelter openings according to their relative likelihood to die without shelter. It’s a macabre way of prioritizing, but it’s more equitable than taking the next number up.

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