WOMAN 1: won't be there until until after we serve food.

KEYRIS MANZANARES: Blessing Warriors is a Richmond nonprofit dedicated to helping people living in poverty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

TRACY BYRD-EAGLES: Our mission is to meet people where they are.

You never know how somebody ended up on the street.

We don't judge.

We don't criticize.

Our goal is to motivate you to find a way up and out of where you are.

KEYRIS MANZANARES: Tracy Byrd-Eagles says there's no face to poverty.

Blessing Warriors RVA has grown into a Facebook group with over 8,000 members, which could seem small to some, but they seem to do it all.

On Tuesdays, Blessing Warriors arrive at St. Paul's Episcopal Church to provide hot meals and essential items to those experiencing homelessness.

TRACY BYRD-EAGLES: This is totally an operation of love.

It is totally a selfless organization.

We are 100% funded by people in the community.

VOLUNTEER 1: All right, friend, there you go.

MAN 1: Thank you very much.

VOLUNTEER 1: You're so welcome.

KEYRIS MANZANARES: But addressing poverty isn't just about providing a financial lifeline, it's also about easing stress.

TRACY BYRD-EAGLES: You know, it's tough on the mental health when you start out on the street.

And whether that start out on the street is an eviction, and you go to a hotel room, and from a hotel room, you end up on the street, whether you're on the street from the beginning, your soul takes a hit.

KEYRIS MANZANARES: Kimberly Myris and her fiance Jonathan know what it's like.

Last year when they were expecting their first child together, they were living in a tent.

KIMBERLY MYRIS: I had a good paying job in my field, you know?

I had a vehicle back then.

I could manage my money back then, but it gets harder and harder.

A lot of it has to do with credit score.

People always want to know about your credit score.

They're always so focused on what happened in the past, you know what I'm saying?

Instead of how you can get out of it.

KEYRIS MANZANARES: Myris says she tries to stay positive as she juggles the pressures of poverty and the responsibilities of parenthood.

KIMBERLY MYRIS: We aren't the people who stand on the corner.

We aren't the people who just sit around and be like, "Hey, man, you got a..." We don't.

We still go to work, you know?

We earn our money, what we have.

We don't earn a lot, so we need help.

KEYRIS MANZANARES: Health Brigade, formerly Fan Free Clinic, is one of those helpers.

They started out in 1970 with an holistic approach to health and wellness.

Jenee Johnson works with other licensed counselors and support staff to provide social work services to clients.

She says the price of poverty isn't always monetary.

Often, people are forced to compromise their quality of life.

JENEE JOHNSON: The price is an enormous price because it wreaks havoc on somebody from a psychological aspect as well as an emotional aspect.

Folks who are living in poverty are in this cyclical experience where not having food, not having childcare, not having healthcare, not having all of our basic needs met causes prolonged stress.

And so, you know, the cortisol hormone, for example, is elevated.

And as a result of that being elevated over time, an individual develops other problems, so high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, digestive issues.

And then on the mental health side of things, we start to get into worry and sadness.

KEYRIS MANZANARES: And that's why Blessing Warriors RVA continue to show up.

For VPM News, I'm Keyris Manzanares.