Right Now Downtown

Our three-part guest blogger series concludes with thoughts from Lisa Defendiefer, Safety Coordinator, Downtown Special Improvement Districts.

I am consistently impressed with how much our social service community can do with so few resources.  This was reinforced at a recent meeting hosted by Capital Crossroads and the Discovery Special Improvement Districts, where social service providers and the Division of Police came together to discuss the current state of homelessness in Columbus.

Everyone noted an influx in the number of people who are homeless.  Faith Mission’s shelters have been at capacity most nights of the week this summer.   Friends of the Homeless and the Engagement Center at Maryhaven reported the same.  All of the providers indicated that the numbers are only going to increase.  Shelters are just beginning to see the fallout from the mortgage crisis.

Despite these challenges, shelters continue to focus their efforts on providing the best care they can for people in need.  However, I do wonder how much more they can stretch to accommodate the growing homeless population.  Unfortunately, at a time when the needs for supportive services are increasing, the funding sources for the service providers are not.  If people would donate the value of one cup of Starbuck’s coffee a week to a shelter, they would make a world of difference in the lives of people who are less fortunate.

This guest blog is by Jerry Pierce and is the first of three blogs. Jerry Pierce has been providing homeless outreach services in the Columbus community for 20 years. On July 12, he began a thirty-day stay underneath the Short Street bridge in downtown Columbus, hoping that his actions will put a face on homelessness and better educate the general public about the issue.

Today marks the 16th day that I have been “living on the land.”  The days have been long.  Imagine having to figure out where to get your next meal, take a shower, go to the bathroom, or find a safe place to sleep every day.  My bones ache from the dampness.  I have had a fever and gotten little sleep.  I have lost my sense of time and feel isolated even when people are around me.  I worry about insects and animals that carry disease and try to eat my food.  I can only imagine what people feel like who have been homeless for months and even years.  I can understand why people use drugs to get through the days and nights.

Twenty years ago, homeless people were typically older men who may have been in the service and had alcohol problems.  Now many of the homeless individuals are younger.  Some have college educations.

I want people in Columbus to think every time they drive over a bridge, pass an embankment, or walk by a vacant house, that homeless people could be staying there.  If people want to help, they should give to organizations in our community that are committed to helping people get back on their feet.