Richmond's homeless man will pack up tent, move himself and cats into apartment for the winter

It's not always easy finding an electrician or plumber in Richmond (thanks to some restrictive codes) but those who are working to bring William Piacenza indoors for the winter have their fingers crossed. Piacenza, homeless the past seven months, has been living in a tent with his two cats, "Cat," 15, and Tiffi (pictured), about a year old. Temperatures have been around zero the past few nights, and the thin nylon of a tent isn't much of a shield against the elements. Two Richmond City Councilmen, Rob Kinnard and Dave Powell, are working as private citizens to bring Piacenza in out of the cold until at least March 1, 2012. If a plumber can make repairs in time, it's thought that a partially furnished one-bedroom apartment Powell owns will be ready for occupancy as soon as tomorrow. Kinnard, very active at his church in mission and youth projects, has taken on the job of raising money to help pay for Piacenza's utilities and other necessities. Powell is donating the space through March 1, with the hope that warmth (both physical and in human kindness) will provide a strong base while Piacenza looks for a job. To read about how he became homeless -- and to learn more about how members of the community quietly assisted him along the way -- read the story in today's Richmond News. For those of you who live out of town, I'll post it here tomorrow.