I have spent the past year learning all I could about the homeless situation in Richmond and beyond.
In order to make a lasting change in this area, I have boiled it down to 4 areas of importance.
The first area is to help everyone come to the knowledge of a loving God through Jesus Christ. How do we show God's love without enabling the problems to continue? Charity is not the answer, but a hand up and not a hand out will make a difference!
The second area is that housing must come first before you can address the substance abuse, mental illness, sexual abuse or any other issue. This basic need takes priority. It has been shown that if housing comes first then change can happen.
In NY this approach has cut homelessness in half in 5 yrs. After a home is found then the other areas listed above can be addressed.
The next would be the employment issue. Often times you have to address the lack of transportation as part of the employment piece. Employment can help with a sense of self worth and dignity that has been lost on the streets.
Lastly we must address how to prevent people from falling into homelessness in the first place. Sometimes it's as easy as showing somebody a budget for the first time!
People find themselves homeless for a wide variety of reasons.
Keep in mind that WE ALL are one or two bad decisions away from being homeless!
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