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Hopefuls seek shelter for the homeless

By Brittany Wright on January 12, 2012 8:00 pm in Isabella County, Mount Pleasant / 3 comments

 

Two men are hoping to give the Mount Pleasant community a place for the homeless population to seek shelter.

Pastor Robert Griffus of Open Arms Ministries is in the process of providing a location for the less fortunate to bathe, eat and reside. The only thing standing in Griffus’ way is support.

Currently, Griffus is in the process of organizing board members in order to establish a 501(c)(3), one of 28 types of nonprofit organizations that are exempt from some federal income taxes. In order to achieve this status, he needs an additional reliable board member.

Griffus said a few Mount Pleasant residents have complained about the number of homeless individuals who were found sleeping in public areas around Mount Pleasant and Isabella County during the summer months.

“Stop complaining and come forth,” Griffus said.

Griffus is waiting patiently for a group of participants to help the process. However, he said he has come to the conclusion that this project may be a one-man show.

Mount Pleasant’s Salvation Army is trying to make its own contributions.

Instead of trying to create a shelter for the homeless, Brian Reed, Captain Area Corps Officer for the Salvation Army, is taking the transitional approach.

Reed said he believes there is a need for a homeless shelter in Mount Pleasant, but he believes the majority of homeless people in Mount Pleasant are in a transitional stage in their lives, perhaps moving from one city to another.

Reed helps low-income and homeless individuals find temporary shelter in hopes they can then find their way after aid is offered.

In the future, Reed said he would like to create a set of transitional homes that are offered for little pay to help low-income individuals to decrease the amount of homelessness in the Mount Pleasant area.

Irene Little, Emergency Services Program Coordinator of the American Red Cross, said they serve anywhere from 320 to 400 people a month in their food pantry.

The number of homeless people living in the community is unknown, Little said.

“I don’t have an exact number, but I do know that more people are homeless than we expect,” she said.

The food pantry serves about 15 to 18 homeless individuals a month. Little said she knows a family currently living from their car.

“There is definitely a need for a homeless shelter in Mount Pleasant,” she said.

 

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  • Mrs. Yarn

    Brittany is an awesome writer!! Love your sister Kris

  • Pastor Rob

     As Pastor of Open Arms Ministry, Thank you Britt! for standing with me on this issue and awareness here in our own backyard.

  • Michmediaperson

    Obama and his Democrat Party cronies said this past week that the economy is booming and people are going back to work so how could we have anyone homeless?

    Is Obama lying?

    Also, we had 8 years of Jennifer Granholm, a liberal.  Did she not get everyone a job?

    Perhaps, two things here:
    1. If we forced all of Obama’s contributors such as General Electric, General Motors to bring back all the jobs to America from overseas, we could give all these homeless a job.

    2. Send the illegal immigrants home to their country.  There are what 10 million here.  We could create 10 million jobs tomorrow giving the homeless a job.  Obama wants to keep them here and take jobs away from the Homeless.  We Limbaugh-thinking Americans want them gone so we can give the Homeless an opportunity.

    It’s the liberals who are keeping these people homeless.

    One other suggestion:  How about all the unions at CMU, Mt. Pleasant schools and all the other public schools in Isabella County get together and tell the unions in Lansing and Washington that instead of their union monies going to subsidize the campaigns of Obama, Stabenow, all the Dem Congresspeople, all the Dems in Lansing for this November and November 2014—-that all those monies will be given to these organizations here locally to help the Homeless.  

    These are suggestions to quickly end Homelessness here and in all 50 states.  Why do liberals, the Democratic Party not take action to stop Homelessness?  Is it because they need the Homeless people’s votes so they keep them in poverty?  Remember, poverty and food stamps have skyrocketed to record levels under Obama.