Homeless coalition readies for Jan. 27 count
The Hot Spring County Homeless Coalition was established in 2011 by concerned individuals who wanted to offer coordinated assistance and make a lasting improvement in the lives of the often- overlooked homeless population in our community.
The nonprofit organization partners with churches and agencies in the area, and together, they provide resources like food, clothing, housing, transportation, medical and dental care, mental health counseling, substance abuse services, training, and employment opportunities to those who qualify.
The mission and vision of the coalition, according to their website, “… is to improve the quality of life of the homeless by providing needed services and education to assist them in becoming more self- sustaining residents of Hot Spring County.” Their Facebook page asserts they want to help people in Hot Spring County become self- sustaining and are offering “a helping hand up and not just a hand out.”
Chair Boyce Mitchell has been part of the coalition for about three years and chairman for the last few months. He said the group is looking for volunteers to help with the upcoming Point- in- Time Count taking place Thursday, Jan. 27 from 10 a. m.3 p. m. at the Ouachita River Fellowship/ Cup of Water Food Pantry, located at 506 E. Page Ave.
The Point- in- Time Count is an annual countand- survey event that is required by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development of any community receiving funds from the Mckinney- Vento Homeless Assistance Grants program.
On the specified day, all counties in the state will take an unduplicated, “snapshot” account of the people in their respective communities who are affected by homelessness in a given 24- hour period. Each county will survey those counted to determine if they’re an individual, part of a family unit, or unaccompanied youth under 18 or ages 18- 24, as well as whether a person is a veteran, chronically homeless, currently homeless, or currently in emergency shelter or transitional housing.
“DHS and the federal government gives us one day to count as many unsheltered homeless people as possible and turn those numbers in, and then they take those numbers from every county that does the count, and that’s what determines how much money in grants will be allotted to the state of Arkansas,” Mitchell stated.
The event is critical because numbers gathered on that day will be used to evaluate how well Arkansas is combatting the problem since the last collection of data, as well as how much federal aid the state will receive for future efforts. Also, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, “Collecting data on homelessness and tracking progress can inform public opinion, increase public awareness, and attract resources that will lead to the eradication of the problem.”
Mitchell and the other volunteers hope their work with the coalition will ultimately help homeless people around the county become self- sufficient. Mitchell’s volunteer service with the coalition aligns perfectly with his paid position as the PATH Coordinator at Ouachita Behavioral Health, where he is able to assist people in Hot Spring County who are struggling with mental health issues and/ or substance abuse, who are homeless or at risk of becoming so. Mitchell provides resources like treatment options, housing and job training to those people in need.
“I’m in charge of a grant called PATH,” Mitchell said. “If you have a mental health diagnosis, and you have income coming in, I can help pay up to a certain amount on your deposit to help get you in a place, one time a year.”
“I also help them get into mental health treatments through my organization,” stated Mitchell. “I’m able to get them into mental health services, substance abuse services, kind of whatever the underlying problem is that kind of caused their homelessness.”
Mitchell said his position with Ouachita Behavioral Health affords him the opportunity to help people when they need it the most. “In the past, what we’ve been doing is, when we get a call from the police or the hospital or somebody like that, we do a number of things,” Mitchell stated. “We help anybody who needs food or clothing. We’ve helped with diapers and all kinds of things like that, but we also— if they qualify for my grant, we do try to find them temporary housing.”
“If it could be done within a few days, we put them in temporary housing until we could move them right over to something permanent,” Mitchell stated. “But if they don’t qualify for any of the things that can be happening right now, we assist them with getting to a shelter so we can work with them while they’re sheltered, to try to get them in a permanent place.”
Mitchell said the coalition will be offering warm meals and information on local resources during the counting event. “We’re going to be counting people, we’re going to have a couple of tables with resources and tents and things of that nature to help the homeless, we’re also going to be trying to feed them at that time, and get them signed up for certain services,” Mitchell stated.
Mitchell said the coalition would like to thank First Baptist Church Rockport, First Baptist Church on Vine Street in Malvern, Second Baptist Church on West Mill Street in Malvern, Teeters Motor Company, and all the other local organizations that have offered assistance to the homeless community in Hot Spring County.
Mitchell said anyone interested in volunteering with the coalition or for the upcoming event is urged to call him at 501625- 2357. Those in need of assistance or wanting more information about the coalition or the resources they offer can contact the coalition on their Facebook page, their website at https:// www. hschomeless. com/, or by calling one of the hotline numbers at 501- 467- 2962 or 501- 337- 2889.
The Hot Spring County Homeless Coalition will meet on Sun. at 1 p. m. at First Baptist Church at 220 Vine St. for an award presentation.
The Hot Spring County Homeless Coalition, Inc., ( HSCHC) was formed in 2011 by a group of concerned citizens and agencies who saw a need for organized assistance to the most needy in our community, the homeless population who were being overlooked. Our mission and vision is to improve the quality of life of the homeless by providing needed services and education to assist them in becoming more self- sustaining residents of Hot Spring County. We collaborate with local agencies, churches, and government agencies to assist the homeless population with resources to provide food, clothing, emergency housing, transportation and social services.