| Updated: 6/28/2011 10:48 pm |
Published: 6/28/2011 7:57 pm |
LITTLE ROCK, AR - The homeless of Little Rock will soon have a place to go during the day.
The Board of Directors voted unanimously to move forward with a plan to create a Day Resource Center for the homeless. Right now the Union Rescue Mission shelters homeless men, who check-in in the afternoon, and are forced to check-out first thing in the morning. Soon, the doors will stay open all day long and offer resources to help both men and women who are homeless.
Currently, the only place for homeless people to go to during the day is the River City Ministry in North Little Rock. Now there will be an opportunity for those who need access to job programs, health care, and educational programs to find it all on the south side of the river.
The Executive Director of the Union Rescue Mission, William Tollett, says "I think it's a great relationship with the City of Little Rock to partner with the Union Rescue Mission. It allows those who are hurting, who are homeless, to have their needs met."
Mayor Mark Stodola says it's important to expand services to the homeless community. Ending homelessness is a goal of the city. "We want to try and deal with the issue of homelessness. It is a face that is very complex. It includes women and children, it includes people who have been foreclosed on, who have lost their home, and of course it includes the chronic homeless as well."
Jerome Washington is homeless and taking advantage of the services the Union Rescue Mission already provides. He says he's pleased with the city's decision, and says, the day resource center will help even more people get their lives back on track. "When there's opportunity, some people will take it and some people won't, but for those who want to move forward, we need to support that."
Funding for the Day Resource Center will come from the City of Little Rock and North Little Rock plus money from the state as well as federal grants. The day Resource Center is set to open in January.
Currently, the Union Rescue Mission serves anywhere from 120 to 190 people. Those numbers would not necessarily increase with the expanded time the Union Rescue Mission is open. Residents who live nearby say they're all for the expansion in hours and services at the Union Rescue Mission. They say hopefully with added resources, the homeless won't stay homeless for long.
