{"podcast":{"title":"The Valley Today","slug":"the-valley-today-1144037","podcast_index_feed_id":1144037,"rss_url":"https://thevalleytoday.libsyn.com/vtrss","website_url":"http://sites.libsyn.com/344060/site","image_url":"https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/6/4/d/5/64d5048b9237b1b788c4a68c3ddbc4f2/The_Valley_Today_logo_radio_1400_x_1400_px.png","author":"Janet Michael","episode_count":2561,"summary":"The Valley Today is a radio show and podcast dedicated to shining a light on the vibrant community leaders and local events that make the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia truly special. Insightful conversations, engaging stories, and event details connect listeners with the heart and soul of the valley, showcasing its unique culture, initiatives, and people. Guests are recorded (mostly) in advance in local coffee shops, at local businesses, and during local events. The radio program airs just a few minutes after noon every weekday on The River 95.3 and Sports Radio 1450.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-18T02:20:38.149398+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-valley-today-1144037"},"episode":{"title":"The Hidden Cost of Homelessness","slug":"the-hidden-cost-of-homelessness","published_at":"2026-07-10T15:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-valley-today-1144037/the-hidden-cost-of-homelessness","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-valley-today-1144037","url":"https://thevalleytodaypodcast.com/the-hidden-cost-of-homelessness","audio_url":"https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/thevalleytoday/20260710VT.mp3?dest-id=2999852","summary":"\"Did you know that being homeless is really expensive?\" That's the sentence one Family Promise Winchester client said to Chris Brigante recently — and it's the question that anchors this follow-up episode of The Valley Today. Host Janet Michael welcomes Chris Brigante, Executive Director of Family Promise Winchester, back to the show for the deep-dive conversation she promised at the end of their last recording: what actually happens when a family loses their home and ends up living in a motel. Chris and Janet walk through one hypothetical family — mom with two part-time jobs, dad in a factory job, a toddler in daycare, and an elementary-schooler — and follow them through every consequence of an eviction: the storage costs, the $1,800–$2,000 monthly motel bill (nearly doubling to $4,000 for a family with three kids under the four-person occupancy limit), the food economy that forces you to eat out for every meal because you have no fridge, no stove, no freezer, and no cabinet space. The 21-day cycle-out that many people don't know exists (motels legally shuffle guests to prevent them from becoming tenants). The homework problem when your third-grader has nowhere quiet to work and can't invite friends over. The address problem when you're applying for a job or a driver's license. The Scarlet Letter of an eviction record that follows you into your next lease application, complete with double security deposits. And the compounding, invisible cost of shame — which Chris identifies as one of the biggest barriers to a family getting themselves out. The conversation closes with the math that makes Family Promise's work so cost-effective (about $500 per child in direct assistance for permanent, stable housing) and a genuine ask: to donors, to would-be landlords open to working…","meta_description":"\"Did you know that being homeless is really expensive?\" That's the sentence one Family Promise Winchester client said to Chris Brigante recently — and it'…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1579,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-valley-today-1144037/episodes/the-hidden-cost-of-homelessness/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-valley-today-1144037/the-hidden-cost-of-homelessness.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}