Homeless Issue #134

Here we go again. Another Nomadic Shelter winter is upon us. After the January 2010 opening, and 8 years of planning and housing our homeless population, it should be just a breeze. Well it aint! We begin with two or three nights covered, then went to seven night of the week covered, caring for many of the same homeless persons, year after year. Now we are down to one of the two original churches and two of the four anchor churches that had carried the burdens of our community of God’s children who have the least. Has our community of volunteers given up on their fellow persons that “just can’t make it on their own?” The “Good Book” says that “They” will always be with us. Well, where are the “Good Book” people?? Are “They” carrying out their end of the bargain????
Will we now need to pay people??? Foothills UMC and Federated are in need of volunteers for all shifts but especially for “Overnight” people.  Something like 9 PM-2 AM and 2 AM-6 AM.
                                   

   Who has the count of the homeless population in
El Dorado County anyway?
 

A & B. The County has a “Coordinated Entry” system with forms to be filled out. Then we also have “HMIS” system needed to be completed for entities applying for grant money from the U.S. Government through HUD.
C. Then, relative to the homeless that use the Nomadic Shelter, we collect our own information needed to have on hand when an emergency arises in a Shelter location, this info is helpful for the first responders, next of kin, law enforcement, and when we need to match a name to a face, etc..
Shelter locations have “C”, on the night that the guests have a problem, all the information on any guest at their shelter. At the moment of need!

SHARING INFORMATION?????
What a thought. Problem: The Nomadic Shelter is in operation at night. 5 PM to 7 AM. 
Another problem: Each entity, HMIS, Coordinated Entry, Nomadic Shelter, serves a different group of the homeless population. Many in the shelter never go to an office to get interviewed. The HMIS people have gone to one shelter location to collect information from time to time. 9 AM to 5 PM. people working “HMIS” and “Coordinated Entry” people, who interviewed only 151 persons last year, Just don’t all mix.
 

Of the 278 persons who used the Nomadic Shelter last year, I wonder how many of those persons were interviewed by the “HMIS” group or the “Coordinated Entry” group? 
What good is any information if it is not shared when/where needed?
                               

We pray that your faith group would open your doors for only one night a week. Will you help?