This time Rick is joined by Stephen Hitchcock, Director & Chaplain at The Haven, and Jordy Yager, journalist. Jordy wrote a piece called The Median Men for Cville Weekly. He spent 9 months learning about a group of 6 individuals that panhandle in the medians at major intersections around Charlottesville that stick together and made a camp to have roots.
Stephen says The Median Men may be a public face of Homelessness, but not necessarily the truest face. He describes the fastest growing homeless demographic as families and unaccompanied youth from 16-24 years old.
The Haven is a day shelter that offers phone and computer access, a place to store belongings and wash clothes. The mission is to help with housing solutions. Stephen says, “Why are people homeless? Because they don’t have a home.”
Jordy’s experience is that the individuals have their own personal story, but the people he got to know believed that you don’t deny what is given to you and that if a care package was given to them if they couldn’t use the products inside, they would find another person in need to give them to.
If you’d like to learn more about The Haven or give to their cause click here. You can read Jordy Yager’s article here.
Dayton Haugh is the Chief of the