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Faces of the county's homeless
Lee-Lee is a good American. He's a proud father of four who loves his country, NASCAR and living in the woods. And, because he's a prideful man who doesn't accept handouts, he'll also tell you he's happy to be living on "Hobo Lane" as a member of the county's homeless community. "Home" is a wooden shelter and tent in a forested area off of Jefferson Davis Highway. "My kids want me to come live with them, but I say 'no' because 'you're the man, and you have to take care of yourself.' It's not my children's responsibility, so I'll never go to live with them, and that pisses them off!" Back in 2001, Lee-Lee had been married for 20 years when he got in trouble with the law. He served his sentence and returned home, only to find his wife didn't want to be married to him anymore.
Lee-Lee is also honest about his struggle with substance abuse. Homeward, a regional provider of services for the homeless, reports 68.1 percent of the region's homeless population have had a problem with substance abuse, while 69.6 percent have served some time in jail. The average age for homeless adults in metro Richmond is 42.7 years old. Lee-Lee is in his mid-40s and understands how some people might think he's checked out of the mainstream population. "To be honest with you, I enjoy my independence out here," he says, as he surveys the small patch of woods he's lived on for years - sometimes with 10 or more people at one time. He and his brethren have lived together in what's essentially a homeless commune and have also died there. Large wooden crosses have been built by Lee-Lee in memory of two people who died and are displayed in the "hangout room" of his wilderness home. Friends from a local church built him a shelter out of wood planks, separated into two rooms, which now serve as his kitchen and living room. Beside the structure is a camping tent that houses his bedroom, featuring a queen-size box spring and mattress set, nightstands with photos of the American flag and his battery-operated television. He can only pick up one channel on his television, adding that his favorite show is "The Young and the Restless," which he tries to watch as often as he can. "My alarm clock is the train coming through at 5 a.m. I love it out here in the woods - with the nature, the birds, raccoons and my dogs and cat. I guess I don't get along with the public." Even so, sometimes the public comes to visit Lee-Lee. "The police are my best friends, and they came to my birthday party a few months ago. I had tuberculosis awhile back, and the county gave me medicine for nine months and put me up at one of their shelters for six months [while quarantined], and that was great because I had a great social worker. Social Services came back here recently and promised to help, but I ain't seen them." He also stays in touch with his children and recently spent time with them at a birthday party for one of his grandchildren. He always takes special care when getting ready for family gatherings saying, "I have to make sure I'm prepared with clean clothes and bathed, because I don't want to embarrass them." "I bathe about once a week in the creek," says Lee-Lee, "but if it's low like it is now, I can't, because it has a fungus look to it!" Deputy County Administrator Rebecca T. Dickson acknowledges the county does have a homeless population, although they are not as visible as in the city of Richmond. "The fact that I serve on Homeward's board is evidence of our acknowledgement and that we see it as a regional issue," says Dickson. One contributing factor to the county's homeless population is the lack of affordable housing. "We do not have a comprehensive regional housing plan to address homelessness, and that's why Chesterfield has a problem," says T.K. Somanath, executive director of the Better Housing Coalition. "However, we have experienced excellent help and cooperation from the county [while building 600 affordable housing units at Winchester Green]." Others comment that working with the county can be difficult. "They're trying to get the churches to take the problem, but it's such an ongoing problem, and it's going to continue until they build more low-income housing," says Pastor Pam Culler at Sherbourne United Methodist Church. One of her congregants, preferring to stay anonymous, chimes in saying, "Within our low-income area, they [the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors] would like to sweep us under the rug. Dickie King was all for the trailer parks, but that new lady says, 'Trailer parks are trashy. Let's get them out of there.'" At least two trailer parks on Jefferson Davis Highway are closing, so they can be redeveloped into shopping, offices and apartments. Homeward agrees the lack of affordable housing in the county plays a significant role in the county's homelessness issue. "Chesterfield County doesn't offer enough housing that is affordable to people in poverty," says Kelly King Horne, Homeward's executive director. "Chesterfield doesn't think they have a homeless problem, but they do," adds a key decision-maker at another nonprofit who requested anonymity. According to a study by Homeward, "On any given day in the Richmond region there are at least 1,150 sheltered and unsheltered men, women and children experiencing homelessness." It's nearly impossible to accurately extract the Chesterfield numbers due to the transient nature of homelessness, but it's estimated that 5.6 percent of the region's homeless last lived at a Chesterfield address. Virginia's projected state budget deficit is trickling down to the county level, making it even more challenging for the county to offer assistance to its homeless population. At the same time, the U.S. Census Bureau has just released figures showing an increase in the county's poverty rates, from 5.2 percent in 2006 to 5.9 percent in 2007. "Staff has not had the opportunity to meet with the new board of supervisors on this issue yet but hopes to in the near future," said Dickson. While Lee-Lee struggles with the dayto day challenges of living in the woods, he worries much more about his fellow man. "I know it's a tough economy out there right now, and I think people with homes have it tougher than me, with things like mortgages and electricity bills to worry about. I can make it out here because God is always good. If you've got faith, you've got everything." All Lee-Lee asks of his fellow citizens is that they give him respect when they see him. "I want them to know we're decent people. We're just going through rough times. Don't look down on us. We're human. If we give you respect, just give it back. That's all we ask." Homeless resources
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Fall & Winter Guide 2008-09
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