Editor’s Note: This is part of our Celebrate Community series, which features nonprofit organizations that improve our quality of life.
CRESTVIEW — Crestview Area Shelter for the Homeless is working toward securing a permanent facility. However, there have been roadblocks.
"Originally, we had been given information that we had an $800,000 grant given to us, and that never materialized,” CASH board member David Hill said. "We made some efforts to get some land, we put a retainer down on some land there in town, and because we didn't get the grant, we couldn’t go through the complete purchase.”
That hasn’t deterred volunteers from their mission. CASH volunteers operate cold weather shelters and soup kitchens in Crestview, and they have Helping Hands, a day shelter at 428 McLaughlin St. in Crestview. There, homeless people can use the telephone and computer for job and housing hunts; take a shower; and wash clothes.
"That's up and going — and going strong," CASH coordinator Ann Sprague said. "We opened in April and we've seen between 75 and 80 different families since April."
But the group does so much more than that. When a person requests help, volunteers "try to make sure they all have an ID, because it's against the law to go around without one," Sprague said. Next, they try to get the person a birth certificate and Social Security card. "Then we try to figure out what else do they need," she said. That includes everything from medical treatment and providing transportation to doctor’s appointments; obtaining qualifications for physical and mental health benefits for homeless veterans; and providing temporary to permanent housing.
"We've got two right now in the hospital," Sprague said. "We try to work with them and make sure they don't discharge them to the street because they'll die. Can you imagine having surgery and being put back on the street and taking care of yourself with that wound?" she said.
CASH finds housing for Crestview’s homeless, and helps them become self-sufficient once housed.
"Part of it is there's just a lack of housing available to try to get people in, even if you can get them benefits they were previously unable to get through SSI,” Sprague said. “If they have some sort of income stream, they can get into some kind of low-income house. It's the goal to get them off the street and self sustaining, but there's not a lot of property available in Crestview.
"I get at least three calls every day for people seeking shelter for the night, especially for the women and children. I would love to have a temporary place to shelter them for a week, maybe a month.”
Volunteers also train people in budgeting, along with how to cooperate with others and how to solve problems.
As for acquiring funding for that long-term goal, permanent shelter, Hill said, "It's certainly an issue, but it's kind of key in this. And we have some small grants that we've been awarded that enable us to do — sort of expand our services and get a start on acquiring a property, but it's going to be ongoing funding required to pay full-time people to operate it. We'll also want to hire a social worker that has some talents that would help in locating some services for the homeless."
“And if someone wants to donate a small house to use that we could remodel a little bit and turn into a house for someone, or a housing lot. We're hoping in the future to apply for a grant to build little duplexes or efficiency apartment type things."
To donate, volunteer or learn more, contact Sprague at 826-1770.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: HELPING THE POOR