Homeless shelter seeks financial help

Our House: Caring for Callaway's Homeless needs help doing just that, as Callaway County's only shelter and service provider for the homeless is looking for ways to ensure it can afford to maintain future operations.

As both of the Fulton-based organization's shelters - the Haven House and Wiley House - frequently reach or near full capacity, Our House Executive Director Brad Sheppard thinks that homelessness in Callaway County remains rampant.

"We're definitely seeing more usage of our shelters," Sheppard said. "So that definitely indicates an increased need in Callaway County for homeless services."

He said about two-thirds of both shelters' guests come from Callaway County, while the rest are referred by organizations in Boone and Audrain Counties. He said several people come from Jefferson City when resources are not available there, and Audrain County currently does not offer aid for homeless individuals.

While the number of homeless looking for shelter or financial aid is growing, their needs are also increasing. Some guests may require additional assistance with transportation, obtaining prop- er identification, and affording co-pays for medical and dental treatment.

"The majority of our guests are dealing with chronic issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure, depression and anxiety," Sheppard stated in a press release from Our House. "We want to ensure that they remain on their medications."

Our House helps guests get medication for physical and mental health illnesses so their conditions don't go untreated.

Sheppard also said the organization incurs the cost of work-related items.

"We can't expect them to go and get a job if they don't have what the job will require of them; helping them get the right documentation and attire is essential," he said in the press release.

Sheppard drove one guest to Wal-Mart to pick out clothing for a job she will start next week.

"She's a great example of trying hard," he said. "She came by the shelter about a week ago and she found a job already and one of the requirements would be to have proper clothing because they (the employer) require a certain style of pants, slip-resistant shoes and that type of thing. We do that as we can so that people can work."

Our House will need additional support from the community to remain a beacon of hope for homeless families and adults who, like the woman Sheppard recently drove to Wal-Mart, need more than a temporary shelter.

"We are foreseeing that unless we get more community funding and support from the community, that we would not be able to offer the same service we are currently offering to the homeless in Callaway County," Sheppard said.

The Haven House provides shelter for four families and up to three months unless they need extra assistance and have put forth "a lot of effort" toward achieving their goals. The shelter is open 24 hours a day, year- round. The Wiley House can accommodate 16 homeless adults for up to three months unless extra accommodations are arranged. The Wiley House is open 8 p.m. - 8 a.m. all year long. Our House shelters serves food from a local soup kitchen for nutritious meals during the week. Local church groups bring a hot meal and sandwich-making ingredients on Fridays for Wiley House guests over the weekend because that shelter does not have a kitchen.

Although the financial crisis poses a threat to Our House's ability to continue operating both shelters and assist their guests with with rebuilding their lives, Sheppard said the situation is not "dire" and he is not anticipating any immediate change. He said both shelters would not just close their doors unexpectedly one day within the next month.

"We're just trying to be responsible so that we know just looking at our past history and then try to look ahead that we're gonna be able to keep offering the same level of service," he said. "We're going to need more support from the community."

Sheppard said the organization has relied on its reserve fund during the last year to make payments. A substantial portion of the reserve fund consists of mortgage payments from former Callaway County Habitat for Humanity homes that were paid to Our House when the local chapter closed a few years ago.

"We've been fortunate that we have some savings. Much of that was accumulated payments from Habitat for Humanity Homes that were deeded to us," he said. "But that's a dwindling source of revenue. We just don't have the extra kind of savings that we once had."

As homeowners pay off their loans, that reserve fund will no longer provide the organization with an immediate, sustainable solution. Our House will now have to consider other viable options to pay the bills.

Sheppard said that in the near future, the organization will need to receive a steady flow of donations on a regular basis from various businesses, organizations and individuals in the county to be able maintain full operations. He also said it costs about $8,000 per month to run both shelters, and that the current goal is to receive that much from community donations.

He said the organization does not have any concrete plans if the current financial slump persists, but conversations with shelter staff in the next few months would focus on implement- ing a plan that would offer a long-term solution. But he does have a general idea what the shelter would do if necessary.

"We may have to use the shelter's space in a different way," Sheppard said. "One of the major costs right now

is staffing the Wiley house every single day of the year for 12 hours a day, so we might have to look at how to be creative or do something different there. We may not be able to offer the same identical services or serve as many people."

Sheppard said Our House is specifically asking for financial donations, although cleaning supplies, gently used clothing and food items are always appreciated.

"We've always emphasized that homelessness is a community problem that requires a community solution," Sheppard said in the press release. "That is true now more than ever."

Our House's annual barbecue fundraiser will be held Sunday, Aug. 25 from 4 p.m. - 8 p.m. at Memorial Park in Fulton.