We've said it before: The problem of homelessness in our community isn't one problem, but rather a series of related issues. It's not going to be solved by a single answer.
That's why it was so encouraging last week to see a number of different approaches toward homelessness all getting a little bit of traction in Corvallis.
Consider these events from last week:
Benton County released the latest version of its 10-year plan to curb homelessness. The linchpin of that plan: Housing first. That means putting a priority on support services to keep vulnerable people from becoming homeless in the first place - because when you're trying to climb out of a hole, the first step is to stop digging.
Another highlight of the 10-year plan is its call for transitional housing to help people get back on their feet after coming out of jail, psychiatric treatment, drug or alcohol rehab or other situations that make it difficult to find housing. Again, the idea is to make sure the problem doesn't get any worse by finding shelter for a vulnerable population.
The Corvallis Homeless Shelter Coalition announced plans to open a cold-weather shelter for women at Knollbrook Christian Reformed Church, 1677 S.W. 35th St. This will be an "all-comers" shelter, which means that women finding shelter there won't have to meet the sobriety requirements enforced by Community Outreach Inc. at its shelter. (Community Outreach, by the way, reports that its 70-bed shelter is full to capacity now.) The women's shelter will complement the men's cold-weather shelter, which will return this year to Westside Community Church, 4000 S.W. Western Blvd.
Project Homeless Connect, an day-long program which aims to connect homeless people with community services, came to Corvallis for the first time. (A similar event has been held in Albany in recent years.) The event, held at the First Christian Church downtown, offered a host of free services to the homeless, from haircuts (courtesy of Supercuts) to dental services to HIV counseling.
To some extent, all of these developments targeted somewhat different aspects of homelessness. Again, the idea isn't to come up with one single solution - no such animal exists - but to pull together a quilt of services from the best efforts of government agencies and nonprofit organizations.
In that light, one of the most encouraging aspects of Project Homeless Connect was the fact that it attracted about two dozen agencies, organizations and businesses, all starting to understand that not one of them alone has the resources to banish homelessness in our community.
Alone, we can't do it. Together, we have a shot.
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