Help us out with the Point-in-Time Homeless Count...

The Ottawa Area Housing Coalition is conducting its Point-in-Time homeless count on January 25, 2012. The count is used to identify the number of homeless persons living in Ottawa County—in emergency shelters, transitional housing, and in places not intended for human habitation.  

The OAHC organizes the count, recruits agencies to count homeless persons seeking services on that day, and recruits community members to help count homeless people living without shelter. The twice annual count begins at 3 a.m. and continues through the day.

Point-in-Time counts are conducted at least biannually across the country to help determine the scope of the problem of homelessness and help policymakers and program administrators track progress toward ending homelessness. The information gained can inform public opinion, increase public awareness, and attract resources that will lead to the eradication of homelessness.

If you’d like to help out with this year’s count, please contact Lyn Raymond at the OAHC at 616.738.1170, or email her at oahccoord@gmail.com

FHC January Book Club...

The Fair Housing Center of West Michigan has selected The Book Thief by Martin Zusak for its January read.

Bring a lunch and join us for our monthly book discussion:

January 12th at 11:45 am

Disability Network – Lakeshore

426 Century Lane, Holland

RSVP to lkeegan@fhcwm.org or call 616.451.2980

Soup for All raises funds to prevent homelessness...

Diners lined up for a bowl of soup donated by one of six area restaurants, with proceeds going to prevent homeless in West Michigan. November’s Soup for All lunch was sponsored by the Ottawa Area Housing Coalition.

A 2010 poll showed one in six Michigan residents knew someone who had been homeless in the past six months. And it showed that 33% of people in Michigan believe homelessness in their community had increased in the past six months, according to the Michigan Campaign to End Homelessness.

The event, combined with a similar event in Grand Haven, raised $12,000 last year, according to Lyn Raymond, coordinator for the Ottawa Area Housing Coalition.

Devon Stuit, a maternal and infant health provider at the Ottawa County Health Department, said she has seen an increase in the past year of people who are either homeless, or on the brink, seeking services.“It’s amazing how many people are living in a hotel or a car or a tent,” she said. “It’s getting worse all the time.”

Zeeland couple Bryan and Kaylin Van Dyke said while they don’t know anyone who is homeless, that doesn’t mean they don’t care about the issue. They attended the Holland lunch with their 16-month-old son, Alden.

“West Michigan is a giving, caring community,” Bryan Van Dyke said. “We want to support (this cause) any way we can.”