Our Opinion: Jefferson City homelessness

Fortunately, a light is being shed on the problem of homelessness in Jefferson City.

Unfortunately, it appears to be only because the city parks department cleared out invasive brush at Washington Park, revealing - gasp! - homeless people.

In this case, clearing out invasive plants solved one problem only to reveal a bigger one. Until then, we were blissfully ignorant. Or could at least pretend to be. Out of sight, out of mind.

But there were previous signs of homelessness at the park, including the death of a homeless man last year during flash flooding along Wears Creek.

Local agencies that help the homeless likely weren't surprised by this "revelation." Common Ground, Project Homeless Connect, The Salvation Army, HALO Foundation, as well as United Way agencies and the Jefferson City Police Department are among those that already had been working to address the problem.

But homelessness isn't a simple problem, and not conducive to a one-size-fits-all solution.

Even the scope of the problem isn't easy to pinpoint. One 2016 study said there were 69 homeless people in Cole County. Deon Tucker, director of the Salvation Army shelter in Jefferson City, said it's more like 1,500-2,000 in Jefferson City alone.

What can be done that isn't being done already?

The Salvation Army turns away people from its 40-bed shelter every day, in large part due to limited space. The Jefferson City Housing Authority has a four-year wait for Section 8 housing.

Adding shelter space may be one solution.

One solution we do not favor is the "housing first" approach that some communities advocate. This line of thought seems to be "give them a home, and they're not homeless."

But again, it's not so simple. Many homeless people live the way they do because of mental issues or substance abuse problems. Others don't meet The Salvation Army shelter requirements. Many of these people need other forms of help before they can take on the responsibility of home ownership. Some simply have a nomadic lifestyle and prefer living the way they do.

That's one of the virtues of Habitat for Humanity, which helps people to get into simple, affordable housing who have not only proven that they are ready, but shown their willingness to be an active partner in constructing the home - and have an income to pay off Habitat's no-interest loan.

Our hope is that the heightened attention to the homelessness problem will result in area agencies, as well as city/county leaders, coordinating to find new solutions. Meanwhile, area residents should consider giving their time or money to such agencies.