Last week, our community participated in the nationwide Point in Time count for the homeless. This happens every year on the fourth Thursday in January. Volunteers and shelter workers go out into the community and do a literal head count of every person that is either living on the streets or staying in a shelter. These numbers are sent to the Department of Housing and Urban Development also known as HUD, where they hopefully guide our government’s response to homelessness in our nation. We do know that the amount of federal money that comes to the north Texas region from the treasury is determined by these numbers. That is why we want the count to be as accurate and representative as possible.
Wichita Falls Faith Mission does not take federal money for programming because we are faith based. There are certain requirements that accompany government funding by which we don’t want to be encumbered.
But there is another important reason for getting this count right and that is for the future of our affordable housing inventory. Decisions are made at the federal level that determine how these additions are made. Wichita Falls is experiencing a shortage of affordable housing and we are hoping to see changes in that area soon. It can be discouraging to our clients to work hard to become self-sufficient only to end up on a 6-month waiting list for housing.
But this annual count of the homeless affects me personally in a different way. You see, in my 12 years of working at Faith Mission, I have never seen that number go down. That wasn’t what I was aspiring to when I signed on as a novice shelter worker. I really thought we were going to eliminate homelessness in Wichita Falls. I now see that the issue is much more complicated than I first thought. And I’ve also learned that, believe it or not, not everyone wants the kind of help we offer here at our shelters. Here’s what I mean by that:
Yes, most want a bed and a shower and even more want a meal. But some are just not interested in doing the work of becoming self-sufficient, meaning being able to care for themselves and their families. It has been very eye-opening to learn that some people are fine not having a plan for their lives other than surviving another day. We won’t quit trying and we will never give up. We pray every day that for some, that moment will come in their lives that they are ready. And believe me when it does, we will be ready too.
