As you may have heard, St. John's, the homeless shelter in town, is permanently closing at the end of this week. This comes on the heels of the loss of funding of the Village House, which has been providing housing for transitional aged youth without other resources.
There has already been a housing crisis in our community for years, but the loss of these safety nets, as limited as they were, will make that so much worse.
REACH Medical is organizing a drive to collect supplies that their outreach workers can distribute to unhoused people, those living in the encampments, and people at high risk for homelessness. Since the pandemic began, REACH Medical has built a robust outreach program and is well-situated to effectively reach many of the most vulnerable in our community. Their intent is to try to keep this vulnerable population as stable as possible as we enter into winter.
The Sociology Department is setting up a collection space for students, faculty and staff to donate supplies on the 2nd floor of Muller. Although a supply drive won't end the housing crisis, our hope is to contribute to addressing immediate community needs while raising awareness about the housing crisis.
