November 2010

To advocate awareness on issues dealing with homelessness, Students United and W.O.W. of Sault High are carrying these boxes around with them this week. Each student designed their own box and wrote awareness facts to increase knowledge and decrease stereotypes on homelessness. These two student groups truly LIVE UNITED.

Michigan Homeless Awareness Week

Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan – On behalf of the City Commission, the Mayor Tony Bosbous, presented Barbara Reed, EUP Continuum of Care Coordinator, a proclamation declaring the week of November 14-20, 2010 as “Homeless Awareness Week”.   The Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness (MCAH) also strongly supports this effort. 

There are 100,001 homeless people in Michigan, which is about 1/3 the entire population of the UP. The statistics show that 1/3 of homeless people are the working poor, working full time at minimum wage, with 60% of those being female heads of household.  One in six Michigan residents personally knows someone who became homeless in the last six months.  Of Michigan voters, 85% think homelessness is a serious problem in Michigan.  

From the experience of our local homeless shelter and from national statistics, keeping a family housed gives them the stability they need to succeed in our communities.  Stable housing is also a major tool in reducing recidivism for ex-offenders. There are 63 homeless families in the Eastern Upper Peninsula as of this date. 

One of the projects the EUP Continuum of Care has been conducting to help people through the crisis of homelessness is called Community Care Connections.  This was started with a grant from the Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness.   These events gather all the local human service agencies together in one room on one day, so that homeless people can find help without having to search all over town.  We provide a hot meal, care packages containing hygiene and laundry supplies, free hair cuts, income tax preparation and school supplies.  In March 2010, Chippewa County served 78 adults, which affected 118 children.  In August of this year, Luce and Mackinac Counties conducted a similar event.  In Mackinac County, 108 adults participated affecting 214 children, while Luce County had 58 adults attend affecting 89 children.  “We believe we can make a difference by making things a little easier for those in crisis by conducting the Community Care Connections,” stated Barbara Reed, the EUP Continuum of Care Coordinator.

If you would like to become involved in Community Care Connections or want more information on how you can help your community address homelessness, please contact Barbara Reed, 906-632-3700 or barb@unitedwayeup.org.