By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Many of St. Joseph’s homeless sought shelter from the extreme cold the past few days at the cold weather shelter operated by Community Missions.
Buchanan County Presiding Commissioner Scott Nelson says there is talk of expanding the shelter and the programs it offers.
“Try to come up with a plan to keep that shelter open 24/7, not just during the cold,” Nelson tells host Barry Birr on the KFEQ Hotline. “And if you are to do that, what are you going to do with those who participate in that, cold weather shelter obviously, but as a shelter?”
The cold weather shelter, which is called My Brother’s House, is located in downtown St. Joseph. Community Missions operates the cold weather shelter from January through March. Nelson says the county, the City of St. Joseph, and Mosaic Life-Care have been talking with those at Community Missions about possibly keeping the shelter open beyond March.
Talks are in the early stages.
“What if we were able to provide some services there, whether it’s through caseworkers or whether it’s mental health, drug addiction, and things like that?” Nelson says. “Can we offer services within the Community Missions building to aid those folks, to bring them up, so that hopefully they can become productive members of society?”
Such an undertaking would demand many more resources and people to supervise the homeless who would use the shelter, let alone the resources needed to offer services to the homeless.
Nelson says the community needs to reach out to those living on the streets.
“I don’t know that many people choose that. It just happens,” Nelson says. “Life just happens to some and if we can help, I think we’re called to do that if we have the means.”
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