I appreciate the fact that Gov. Matt Meyer is addressing the homeless situation. Some communities are doing great, like Georgetown with its pallet village. Unfortunately, that’s not possible in most areas.
A lot of individuals look at homeless people and wonder why they aren’t working. One reason is that they have no address or phone. A post office box can be blocks away, if you’re able to get one. If you go into a business to apply for a job, you usually have to put in an application. How do they contact you? I realize some have a phone supplied by the government, but a lot don’t. This is where I think churches can help. There is one every few blocks. Maybe a church can supply an address for a homeless person. They could receive mail for them. This would also help with Social Security checks, etc. Now, if someone can be hired to man a phone at the church during the day, a phone can be supplied and a contact person, in case a potential employer wants to reach out to an applicant.
I also wonder, with all the churches we have, if they can help more with providing shelter, besides in cold weather. Homelessness is a community problem, and churches are in all of our communities. Maybe a plan can be made to get them involved in helping with this problem.
Stan Sipple
Felton
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
