The shelter subcommittee of the Jefferson City Homeless Task Force met at the First Presbyterian Church on Saturday morning, discussing long- and short-term solutions to the lack of shelter options in the city.
The group quickly filled the McAfee Room and transferred to a larger adjoining room where they traded a table for a large circle of chairs that widened as latecomers trickled into the meeting. Many of the 22 church officials and community members had to speak loudly to be heard over the practicing choir in the next room.
Before discussing the problems facing the city, they tried to identify the scope of the situation with which they were dealing. The meeting facilitator, Ron Hansen of the Westley Centeral Methodist Church, said there are at least eight known homeless individuals without any shelter in the city, citing the Point-in-Time Sheltered and Unsheltered Homeless Count that is prepared by the Missouri Housing Development Commission and the Missouri Association of Social Welfare (MASW).
"They (MASW) do as good as they can do, but no one really knows the numbers," said Jim Hill of the First Baptist Church. "That survey really only knows the people who come for help, but some of the homeless are a lot more off of the radar than others."
Tony Hammond, member of the First Baptist Community Needs Ministry Team, added he was once homeless and it was hard to swallow his pride and go to a shelter for help. This means there are probably many more people like him out in the city, but the committee will not be able to find them because they do not want to accept any help, he said.
It's also hard to calculate the large number of homeless youths who "couch surf" between friends, said Missouri River Regional Library director Claudia Schoonover. Schoonover added she sees and deals with many of these teens every day when they come to the library to use public computers.
At the subcommittee's last meeting, the group decided to investigate making a shelter out of the Agape House, which once housed the visiting families of prisoners for the Missouri State Penitentiary. The group has meet with the directors of the Agape House to try and find a way to put the 12 rooms and a kitchen to use, but a problem with mold is holding up the process. There is also a lack of funding and personnel with the proper expertise to run the shelter.
The committee discussed getting an organization such as the Salvation Army or the Red Cross to run the Agape shelter, which is planned to house women and children only. They are looking at grant opportunities to help fund a transitional housing project as well.
There was also discussion of using the area churches as temporary shelters to help with the upcoming winter weather. The subcommittee will be inquiring the church's officials to find out who can donate people, funds, supplies and locations to help provide emergency shelter for a brief period of time during the winter.
One option being considered is partnering with Room in the Inn, a homeless shelter program started in Nashville, Tennessee by Father Charles Strobel. This program helps churches and other nonprofit organizations convert their facilities to help house the homeless, but the program would probably not be able to be put in place until next year, Hansen said.
The thought of not securing more shelter to help the unsheltered homeless people this winter was unsettling to Hammond, who said there is surely something that can be done for these people now.
One newcomer to the subcommittee suggested the group set up a contact person for the Salvation Army to call when they have to turn away someone. This person could contact the rest of the task force to see what is immediately available.
The same person then added he has a large basement with bathroom facilities that could house a few people and he would not mind providing temporary help. The committee then decided to reach out to the community to see how many other people could extend their hospitality to a few people for a short period of time. If anyone can volunteer space to temporarily keep someone out of the cold this winter, the committee needs them to call Hill at the First Baptist Church, 573-634-3603.
The full task force's next meeting is 9 a.m. Jan. 17 at the Missouri River Regional Library.