Homeless issues are attracting greater attention, a prerequisite for action.
Separate News Tribune stories focused on initiatives by the HALO Foundation and Homelessness Task Force to coordinate efforts among area churches and organizations.
HALO, the acronym for Helping Art Liberate Orphans, gradually has widened its scope to aid young people in the U.S. as well as orphanages overseas.
"We did start internationally," said HALO founder and Jefferson City native Rebecca Welsh, "but when we came back to the states, we started realizing the needs here. Jefferson City has been the biggest wake-up call for me personally. I now live here and have realized just in the last eight to 10 months how much need there is in our community."
In our community, the depth of homelessness, like hunger, is not readily apparent.
Welsh estimates - based on surveys and interviews with educators and human services providers - 135 local youngsters are homeless. They sleep in parks, cars or with friends. Some are children of parents who are incarcerated or addicted; others have been abandoned.
HALO now provides transitional living for two teens, with a future goal to house at least 18 homeless young people. More about HALO's outreach is available at facebook.com/HALOJeffersonCity.
Issues facing the homeless also will be the topic of an organizational meeting of the Homelessness Task Force, to be held from 9-11:30 a.m. Saturday at First Baptist Church, 301 E. Capitol Ave.
The goal is to coordinate the efforts of area churches and organizations to identify and address the needs of the homeless. Among those needs are shelter space and access to showers and laundry facilities.
First Baptist Church Administrator Jim Hill said before the church began interacting with homeless people through its community meals, "we didn't understand the extent of homelessness, either." Additional information about the task force is available by calling 634-3603 or emailing [email protected].
The stereotype of a homeless person sleeping in a cardboard box or storefront stoop is woefully inaccurate. And people facing challenges - addiction, depression, hunger or homelessness - don't always call attention to themselves.
Hill characterized "the heart of the Christian mission" as reaching out to people in need.
We believe it also is the heart of our community mission, and we commend those who are reaching out.