I took this photo nine days ago and wasn't sure whether to publish it or not. Some locals might recognise her even from this discreet view as one of the three or four people frequently encountered in the neighbourhood, asking for change.
I've spoken to her a few times. She has told me her name and a place where she stays. I've rung that place and they've confirmed that they know her and that something is being done to help her, but I'm not sure exactly what.
I find her the most piteous of the regulars who beg: pallid, frail and dismally clothed. She's been around for many months now, probably more than a year. You wonder what, if anything, will ever happen to make her life better.
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