The orange and white barricades went up around Monroe Park for its $6 million renovation around this time last year. VCU students haven’t been able to use the park as a study spot or a shortcut to the other side of campus for the past year. As the weather gets colder, a different group of people come to mind when thinking about Monroe Park.
The January 2017 point-in-time counts conducted by Homeward, Richmond’s planning and coordinating organization for the homeless population, found on a single night in Richmond, 606 adults and 56 children were experiencing homelessness. The majority were staying in local shelters, but 153 individuals were unsheltered.
People experiencing homelessness often found a form of shelter in Monroe Park and when news came about regarding its closure, Richmond citizens were concerned for what this would mean for the homeless population.
According to Homeward, 56.8 percent of Richmond’s homeless population attend meal programs and of that percentage, 51.1 percent went to Monroe Park for these programs.
In March, a CBS6 article featured one man experiencing homelessness saying the homeless population was able to congregate at Abner Clay Park after the closure, but were very quickly shown by the city of Richmond they were not welcome there.
Homeward made preparations for the closure in advance. Kelly King Horne, Homeward’s director said in the same CBS6 article that there has been an increase in homeless people getting connected to permanent housing since Monroe Park closed.
Local churches and organizations regularly provide meals for the homeless and these organizations did a sufficient job in making this information known to people who may need it.
If the Monroe Park renovation was inevitable, I believe the organizations that center around the homeless population did a good job in preparing for the closing of the park. I’m not so convinced, however, that the city of Richmond has as much empathy.
It’s hard to walk by a bench with a third armrest in the middle and not think its sole purpose is to keep homeless people from sleeping on it. Some cities argue things they put on benches, curbs or sidewalks are to keep skateboarders off of them. Whether it’s intended or not, they serve an alternative purpose as well — to keep homeless people off.
The 2016 point-in-time counts conducted by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness showed 549,928 people were unsheltered on a single night in the U.S. and 6,268 were unsheltered in Virginia. The 2017 point-in-time counts haven’t been released yet.
As the weather begins to drop down to the 20s in the coming days, Richmond residents should be aware of the homeless problem in this city. It’s a systemic issue that should be addressed in several areas and it’s not going to be solved any time soon.
In the meantime, be mindful of your unsheltered neighbors and spare a dollar, a cigarette or a kind word or two at all times. Organizations such as Homeward and HomeAgain provide information about different ways you can help out, especially during these next few cold months.
OPINIONS EDITOR
Katie Bashista
Katie is a junior pursuing a major in journalism and a minor in political science. She enjoys writing about current events, especially regarding anything that’s happening in Richmond. She hopes to someday write for a major publication in a big city. When she’s not writing you can find her at a local Richmond show or trying out a new recipe she found on Facebook.
bashistakp@comonwealthtimes.org