While they may be hard to find in Lynchburg, homeless people do exist in the city.
"You really don't see our homeless out and about in the community, but I can assure you that they are there," said Tracey Dixon.
Dixon is Executive Director of The Daily Bread, a Lynchburg non-profit that serves hot meals. Every day at lunchtime, their dining room on Clay Street is full.
"Many of our guests will literally walk in from the woods or from an abandoned building," said Dixon. "They will eat with us and then go right back to their hiding spaces."
According to a recent count, around 200 people live in Lynchburg with no permanant place to call home.
"We know there are dozens more who are not comfortable declaring homelessness on a survey," Dixon said.
Rick Hughes interacts with those people often.
"People want to do something, but when people hear homeless they think it's so huge," said Hughes. "They're like 'I'm just one person, what can I do?’”
Hughes asked himself the same question and found there was something he could do.
A few years ago, he started Warm Streets. It was originally a simple effort to give homeless people basic supplies. Today it has blossomed into something more.
Five months ago, Warm Streets opened an art gallery downtown. All of the proceeds go to organizations that help Lynchburg's homeless, like The Daily Bread.
"We're so grateful for the help of Warm Streets," said Dixon. "They've really helped us meet the special needs of things beyond food."
The gallery itself is spreading awareness.
"When people come in to look at the art, we can tell them about the homeless problem," Hughes said.
They get a lot of volunteers that way and a lot of donations.
"They say 'Oh, this art is nice but I don't need anything. Here's $10,'" Hughes said.
It's a small way to address a large problem and spread an important message.
"We just want to see more people know about us," said Hughes. "Even if they're not going to buy anything, just come here and be more aware of what's going on in the community."
The Warm Streets Art Gallery is located on the second floor of the Riverviews Artspace, 901 Jefferson Street in downtown Lynchburg.
