Hello R-VA, I wish I knew of this sub sooner, but better late than never. I'm typing this on an old phone on wifi, so I hope this is readable.

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I'm a homeless guy from the area and I've run into a problem. The sweet and sour part is that an old friend had emailed me whom I've hadn't heard from in years on Sunday, after talking he will be coming late Thursday to take me down to Georgia with him to help turn things around so I won't be homeless any longer. I do feel bad, but despite living in Richmond my whole life and the memories, as sad as it would be to leave, it is likely for the best because there's zero upward mobility for most homeless here.

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With that said, here's the problem I'm facing, between tonight (Wednesday) and Thursday there's going to be hazardess weather conditions. I'm already struggling handling the weather now as is, but in that time not only will the weather be worse, but there will be high winds and cold rain as well overnight into Thursday morning.

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I'm looking for help in getting a hotel for tonight into Thursday so that I can be sheltered during the bad weather, because I know that there's no way I'm surviving outside in the elements during that. By doing so, once I checkout the hotel around 12PM it should hopefully be just a few more hours until my ride arrives and I'll be leaving Richmond behind.

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The problem is, I can't seem to find a way to get a cheap hotel room for the night. It seems even with discounts I will need after tax $70 or more in order to book even a cheap motel, way out of my reach. I'm hoping maybe there's some deeper discount codes or anything else that can help because I have very little cash, and need what I can for food until the day of my friends arrival, so can't waste much.

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I'm hoping you guys on this reddit will be able to help me find a solution for this issue. Afternoon today wind and temperatures will get worse, then later it's supposed to rain overnight into Thursday with chilling temperatures. I want to avoid that as much as possible.

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I would also like to clarify things for those wondering about the conditions of homeless shelters and the lack of opportunity.

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Many of you likely think because of media coverage most shelters in Richmond are caring and all you have to do is walk in and you're taken care of.

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Sorry to say that's not close to the truth in many cases. The whole homeless issue is something you want to avoid because a lot of it is corrupt. There is heavy favorism, descrimination, gate keeping, and the need to "incentivize" in order to receive good treatment, or at times, access a bed. If you aren't liked by a shelter favorite you are in a rut when space is limited.

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Shelters don't bother with protection either, and is sometimes involved with stuff missing. Everything you have on you, you have to always carry with you and put it in view because no one stops anyone from taking stuff. Several shelter staff treat you poorly or talk down to you. Some staff pull for resources for some over others, and usually no mobility.

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You will be trying to find a way to get out of homelessness only for false promises with no results, or no solutions offered. If you need help with certain things they put most effort into who they want and will lie to the other homeless people. If I need a shower some make you pay a few bucks or it's "not available", I could go on and on.

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As for shelters receiving a lot of funding, or government programs including social workers, no one is actually doing anything for most homeless people. I don't see where any of those charitable donations are going. I just see band-aid solutions so people can claim they are doing something.

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Being homeless in Richmond is like a revolving door putting it another way. The system here isn't arranged to help people get out.

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These issues, especially the "fees" and "favorism" is why I know I will not be able to be in a shelter between tonight and Thursday. That is why I need to book a hotel for today to avoid the bad weather.

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Then, later on Thursday I'll be leaving this revolving door for better opportunities. For those who can help or have ideas I appreciate it in advance, it's (hopefully) the last obstacle in my way after this painful homeless experience.

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(I'm sure my health has deteriorated by a lot due to the stress and lack of sleep. But hopefully I'll be able to reverse that. You want to avoid any mistakes that can make you homeless in Richmond, I've seen it break many otherwise intelligent people, it's something you want to avoid, take it from me.)