ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – November is nationally recognized as Homeless Awareness Month. On Friday, Delta County organizations held an event to provide assistance to anyone in need.
The Menominee Delta Schoolcraft Community Action Agency (MDSCAA) hosted a community resource fair at Bay College.
“We wanted to do an event where it would benefit our clients,” said MDSCAA Homeless Outreach Worker Kim Strom. “We’re providing information and we have some helpful giveaways, kind of basic needs items, just to bring awareness about the problem. It is an issue here.”
In fact, just over 1,020 people in the U.P. experienced homelessness in 2023, which was an 18% increase from the year before. The Community Action Agency has seen a few key factors contribute to that rising number.
“We’re definitely feeling some effects from the pandemic,” said Matalyn Thibeault, MDSCAA Homeless Program Manager. “Then, the housing market in general has had an effect on people experiencing homelessness. Having extra barriers on top of that makes it difficult to get into housing.”
“The state and our low-income programs consider paying any more than 30% of your income toward rent as not affordable, and often people are paying 80 percent of their income,” Strom explained. “The low-income housing is really important; we just don’t have enough of it.”
At no cost to Community Resource Fair attendees, more than 20 vendors offered hygiene products, food, healthcare resources, employment services, and other necessities that can be a tremendous help for someone in need.
“No one agency can do it all, so the resources and the referrals are really important,” said Strom.
The Community Action Agency also aims to change peoples’ perceptions of homelessness and poverty.
“The stigma behind it isn’t always accurate,” said Thibeault. “People are struggling.”
“Many of my clients as an outreach worker, they have jobs,” Strom added. “They might even have all their move-in costs, but the housing isn’t there. In order to get that housing in our area, legislators need to make some decisions and we need to let them know our thoughts on that. That’s why breaking that stigma is so important to help get people on board to help.”
Most importantly, Thibeault says the MDSCAA and partnering organizations want to provide hope to those who need it most.
“It is a tough time, but we do want people to know that we are here to support them,” she said. “Hopefully from this, we can all come together and make homelessness rare, brief, and non-reoccurring.”
Anyone interested in receiving assistance or resources through the Menominee Delta Schoolcraft Community Action Agency can call (906) 789-0545 for a free, confidential screening assessment.
