The problem of homelessness is not just a big-city issue.
There are people right here in the U-P who get down on their luck and have no place to stay.
In Delta County, Hope at the Inn helps people in their winter months stay warm at night. Barb Gabriel tells the Radio Results Network that it is a coalition of churches and volunteers who want to help people, and has done so for the past five winters.
“Last year, we served 66 guests,” Gabriel told RRN News. “Ranging in age from 18 to over 60. Over 78-percent of them were from right here in Delta County. We have 13 host churches, and ten support churches. The host churches actually host the homeless people right there, and the support churches help to provide volunteers.”
A fundraiser will be held on Saturday, from 5:00 until 7:00, at the Escanaba Salvation Army. It’s “Nacho Saturday”, and for five dollars, you get a bite to eat, and some fellowship as well.
“We don’t get any support from the state,” organizer Roland Jacobson told RRN News. “All of our support is from our churches and from the donations that we get. This is one of our biggest fundraisers for the year.”
Jacobson says the money is used for the supplies that are needed to take care of the homeless people during the winter evenings, and the donations help to fund a social worker position at the Salvation Army.
“We ultimately want to help people find a job, so that they can have a place of their own,” Jacobson said.
