SUMMER 2009 EDITION
COMMUNITY»
Columbia shelters hurting for funds, donations
BEN DILLON/staff
Steve Jacobs, director of St. Francis House, a homeless shelter in Columbia, has seen an increase in homeless people seeking shelter since the beginning of the economic recession.
COLUMBIA — The economic downturn is adversely affecting many of Columbia's homeless and the shelters that serve them. Increasingly, some agencies are turning the homeless away, triaging dwindling supplies and cutting other services to meet the needs of homeless families and individuals.
"I know we get more phone calls from people looking for assistance," said Steve Jacobs, who helps run St. Francis House, a shelter for men. "We have to turn down five to six people a day."
The Salvation Army is dealing with similar issues, said regional coordinator Kendall Mathews.
“I’ve definitely noticed our numbers at the Salvation Army increasing more rapidly," he said. "I would say there’s currently about a 10 percent increase seen in the numbers of people coming through our sectors between now and this time last year."
To cope with the increase, Mathews said his agency has adjusted its budget.
"We had to shift the budget and funding so that it specifically went to the homeless," Mathews said. "The resources are strained and limited. Resources have decreased."
David Tye, who has been homeless off and on for the past 20 years and who volunteers at the soup kitchen Loaves and Fishes, said that the decrease has made it more difficult for him to meet his basic needs.
"You used to be able to walk into the soup kitchen to get things like coffee, bagels and even full meals, all through donations," Tye said. "Now, it's pretty much first come, first serve."
Tye, 43, also said his major source for cash has all but dried up.
"Hardly anyone gives out change," Tye said. "I have to bump everything."
Although Tye said he often sleeps on the street, St. Francis House provides overnight shelter for up to 20 men at a time. The facility has several sources of funding, including contributions from individuals and funding from United Way.
Jacobs, who is part of the Catholic Worker movement and has worked with St. Francis House for 26 years, did not have specifics concerning the shelter's budget, but he said even with multiple places that provide help, money needed to maintain services remains tight.
"Even money from organizations such as United Way has disappeared more rapidly this year," Jacobs said.
Jacobs said agencies face a challenge not only raising money but also with in-kind donations to help keep people clothed, housed and fed because of increased competition for limited resources.
He said that trips to a food pantry, where for several years he received free bread to distribute at the shelter, can now leave people empty handed. This time last year, people could get as much food as they needed; now they are limited.
"They seem to frequently run out," he said.
Jacobs credits a $30,000 bequest for keeping St. Francis House from cutting services and for building an addition that will increase its number of beds.
"We had a priest who died about a year ago and left money for us in his will," Jacobs said. "So that was definitely a big help."
The reality of today's economy has caused the Salvation Army to broaden its approach to the homeless. It attempts to provide long-term solutions through self-sustaining programs that can help families and individuals. Mathews said his agency encourages them to become involved in the community and provides training in life skills they can use once they leave shelters.
Although the state of today's economy remains grim, neither Jacobs nor Mathews is hopeless when considering the future.
"If our resources ran out, I think it would be a near catastrophic experience for those who are homeless, and we wouldn't be serving them justice in our community and throughout America," Mathews said. "We still function to feed, house and help the homeless despite the recession because that's what our mission is all about."