Social Abuse: Community, Care & Contracts

Episode 10: What Have You Done? Social Abuse: Community, Care & Contracts No guest chair this week — just Vanessa, sitting down one-on-one to pause and look back before moving forward. After nine episodes, nine stories let into this space, episode ten is a recap: a deeper look at episode nine with Ralph Payton, executive director of GRIP (Greater Richmond Interfaith Program). Vanessa revisits...

In this episode, Vanessa sits down with Ralph Payton, Executive Director of the Greater Richmond Interfaith Program (GRIP), for a conversation about what it actually takes to run a family shelter, and what it takes to keep families under one roof while they rebuild. Ralph's story starts far from Richmond, it begins in Toronto, Canada, where his passion for this work first took root. Watching...

Social Abuse Podcast   In this episode, Vanessa sits down with Ana Pineda for a candid conversation about her life before, during, and after homelessness. Ana opens up about how she arrived at that season, how addiction entered the picture, and what it cost her and her five children.  She shares the turning point that led her to get clean, what it means to still be standing in a home of her own, a...

Life doesn't always go the way we plan, but how we respond when it doesn't says everything. In this episode, host Vanessa Calloway sits down to share a first look at the stories of two families who'll be joining us in upcoming episodes. She gives us a window into where they are now, the struggles that brought them to this point, and the quiet strength it takes to keep standing when...

Council Member Soheila Bana sits down with host Vanessa for the long-awaited Episode 6. The conversation Episode 4 set up after Dr. Jamelia Brown named her as one of the two colleagues who showed up with integrity. Soheila shares her journey from Iran to Richmond, how she came into politics. Why she believes the city's real failure isn't a lack of promises — it's a lack of proof.  W...

Council Member Soheila Bana had an emergency council meeting. She'll be here in Episode 6. But this week, host Vanessa sits alone with the mic and says everything that's been sitting heavy since Dr. Jamelia Brown gave us one of the most honest, most painful episodes this podcast has ever produced.   Housing First. The money trail. The hazing inside City Hall. The way social abuse hides b...

In this episode,  Council Member Dr. Jamelia Brown gets personal.   She shares at this point Richmond isn't a city of pride and purpose we're a city of pain and poverty. She's clear on her thoughts regarding the Housing First method.  Dr. Brown, serves on the Richmond City Council representing a city whose history is inseparable from questions of race, industry, labor, and survival....

In this episode Host, Vanessa Calloway has open, candid, light hearted conversation with two of Richmond California local candidates.  Brandon Evans (Southside Son) running for City Council District 3 and Demnlus  Johnson III whose running for Mayor.  You'll hear county vs city responsibilities. Their why for staying in Richmond and now hoping to gain constituency by being voted into office. ...

In Episode 2 of the Social Abuse Podcast,host Vanessa Calloway gets into the heart of what is show is built on, defining, naming, and exposing social abuse in all places it hides.  With over 30 years of front-line experience working with the unhoused community,  Vanessa doesn'  speak theory. She speaks from what she has lived, witnessed, and refused to stay silent about. This episode is where...

"What happens whe the people closest to the problem have the least power in the conversation?" Welcome to the Social Abuse Podcast. A space built for real talk, radical transparency, and long overdue accountability.  In this debut episode, host Vanessa A. Calloway introduces herself and lays out the heart behind this podcast. Vanessa has spent over 30 years, working directly with the unh...