SHERRY VAN ARSDALL Tribune Staff Writer

CASSOPOLIS -- When the weather turns severely cold in Cass County this winter, there's a place for the homeless to seek emergency shelter.

 

Camp Friedenswald has offered their facilities when local shelters are full.

 

The camp is on 100 acres in southeast Cass County near Cassopolis.

 

"It's a little more of a slow time for us and we have facilities to offer," said Justin Weaver, executive director for Camp Friedenswald.

 

"It's a way for individuals to realize they have a safe place to stay and meet their needs," Weaver said. There's space available for families or individuals and it takes minimal effort to be ready, since the camp has retreats and other activities year-round.

 

"We already have the setting and it's a fantastic way to help the community and keep the community a little bit healthier," he said.

 

The camp's offer for housing came after a meeting with the Cass Housing Continuum of Care (CoC) that Portia Amstutz, camp operations manager, attended with other local officials to brainstorm possible solutions for the homeless.

 

"Portia and I talked about it and it seemed to fit really good with our mission statement," Weaver said. "We are a faith-based mission and it's another way to reach out in the hospitality aspect of our faith."

 

The offer has delighted prevention coordinator Ruth Andrews for Human Services Coordination Council. She's thrilled that the camp has accepted the challenge, Andrews said.

 

"They can do it with greater ease and it'll be good for the persons," she said. "It's a very helpful setting, a positive setting."

 

Other options have been suggested such as having local churches, businesses or agencies serve as "warming stations" for the homeless.

 

These would be places where they can spend time in a warm, friendly environment, use the bathroom, have a cup of coffee or make a phone call, Andrews said.

 

In Dowagiac on Tuesday and Friday, people who need a place to warm up are welcome to stop at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 306 Courtland St., during the day. Cass Housing Continuum of Care anticipates an increased need for emergency shelter this winter, and appreciates Camp Friedenswald for expanding their mission of Christian service and becoming part of the emergency shelter system, Andrews said.

 

Staff writer Sherry Van Arsdall:

svanarsdall@sbtinfo.com

(574) 217-5015

 
In posting this entry, I discovered this article about the homeless..  

 

The Face of Homelessness

Facts you probably didn't know about U.S. homelessness

Homeless shelters in the United States are already unable to meet the needs of the nation's homeless in virtually every city across the country and now there has been a consistent increase in the number of homeless people in the United States. Sadly, the number of available shelters and rescue missions has not caught up with this escalating need.

The National Statistics on Homelessness in the United States are staggering:

Astonishing Statistics

• The number of homeless people in the United States is about 3.5 million; this number reflects how many individuals will experience homelessness this year. 
• 1.35 million, or 38 percent, of the homeless are children.
• 23 percent of requests for emergency shelter cannot be met by homeless shelters in the United States, due to lack of resources.
• At least 13 percent of homeless people are employed, and in recent years that number has been as high as 26 percent.  This indicates just how out of step wages can be in some areas versus the cost of living.
• More than 38 million people live below the poverty line, just one step away from homelessness. This number is 13.3 percent of the U.S. population. 
• The homeless are, on average:
  51 percent single men
  30 percent families with children
  17 percent single women
  2 percent are unaccompanied youth
  16 percent are considered mentally Ill
  
  

Homeless Elders in the United States

Homeless elders in the United States are rarely discussed, probably because many do not live to the age we normally consider "elderly."

• The life expectancy of a homeless person is between 42 and 52 years of age, compared to the national average of 80.
• The 2005 American Community Survey by the US Census Bureau showed that 9.9 percent of senior citizens (65 and older) live below the poverty line, just steps away from homelessness.
• In the state of Massachusetts, from 1999 to 2002, the number of people over 55 in shelters increased by 60 percent. 
• In 2005, 10.3 percent of the nation's sheltered homeless people were between 51 and 61 years old.

Homeless elders in the United States are a growing population.

What causes people to be homeless?

What causes people to be homeless is a complex matter and is specific to each case. Mental illness, substance addiction, and chronic unemployment are often-cited causes, but a surprising number of the homeless have none of these problems.

For many Americans, working is no escape from poverty: 74 percent of the new jobs created between 1994 and 2005 pay below a livable wage.

• In every U.S. state, more than the minimum wage is required to afford a one- or two-bedroom apartment at Fair Market Rent.
• Federal support for low-income housing fell 49 percent from 1980 to 2003.
• Affordable housing is disappearing: Between 1973 and 1993, 2.2 million low-rent units disappeared from the market, either by abandonment or conversion into condos or expensive apartments, or because they became unaffordable due to cost increases.
• Whereas in 1970 there was no shortage of housing for low-income renters, by 1995 there was a shortage of 4.4 million apartments.

The shortage of low-income housing is a major factor in what causes people to be homeless today.

Homelessness is an ever-urgent problem.. Immediate financial and volunteer help is vital to the continuation of homeless shelters in the United States. 



I'm sure Camp Friedenswald would appreciate any financial and/or volunteer support we can offer to help them out with their efforts to provide food and shelter to the homeless in our community!
To make a donation on-line, please go to this link:

https://giving.mennoniteusa.org/organization/detail/1809/

The link above will only accept donations on-line in the amount of $25 and above..

If you wish to donate a different amount, the address to send a donation directly to the camp is:

 Camp Friedenswald

15406 Watercress Dr.

Cassopolis, MI 49031

email: info@friedenswald.org

phone: 269-476-9744

fax: 269-476-9745