Visitors to Branson praise the hospitality of this community. What they may not know is that some of Branson\u2019s population\u2014including some who are in the workforce\u2014are living in motel rooms they rent by the week or in the woods around town. And among that population are children.<\/p>\n
On Sept. 24, Branson\u2019s hospitality will be extended to the estimated 400 individuals and families who are without suitable housing in Taney County. The Governor\u2019s Committee to End Homelessness will sponsor \u201cProject Homeless Connect\u201d at the United Methodist Church on Missouri 76. Representatives from about two dozens non-profit agencies will be there to offer services to those who attend.<\/p>\n
Branson Salvation Army is serving as the host agency, accepting donations and signing up volunteers, said Capt. Jody Dalberg. The people they hope to reach \u201ccould be three days away from being on the street,\u201d he said. \u201cThey have enough to pay for a night here or there, but hotel life is not a life adults or children should be living. It\u2019s a shelter. It\u2019s not housing.\u201d<\/p>\n
John Presley is chairman of the volunteer committee. \u201cAs we all know, Branson has a large number of people living in weekly rentals,\u201d Presley said. \u201cThe goal of this event is to provide people with a central place and time to meet with area agencies to get the services and documents they need.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the past four years, volunteers for Church Army Branson have conducted Point In Time counts in Taney County, identifying people living outside or in motels. Last summer, they found 304 individuals. This winter, the count was 248. This year, they are developing methods that will result in a more accurate assessment, said Michelle Harllee with Church Army.<\/p>\n
The Governor\u2019s Committee to End Homelessness covers 101 rural counties in Missouri, said Jenni Miller, Community Initiatives Coordinator for the Missouri Housing Development Commission. The first Project Homeless Connect was held last year in Columbia.
\n\u201cBut Branson\u2019s are the highest numbers in the state, so that\u2019s why Project Homeless Connect is coming to Branson,\u201d Miller said.<\/p>\n
“Some lack a car, a job or even necessary documents,” Presley said. \u201cEveryone is interested in getting people out of the situation. Some might need veterans\u2019 assistance, or mental health help or maybe just a birth certificate, and they\u2019ll be able to get that help right there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s needed now is about 100 volunteers to help at the event,\u201d Presley said.
\n“That may not be easy. Some people may be leery about volunteering, but these are mostly genuine people down on their luck. I\u2019ve already got about a dozen people living in motels who want to help. The goal is to have a guide for each person who comes in the door.\u201d<\/p>\n
Volunteers also are needed for registration, handing out items to participants and helping with meal service. Another committee will provide transportation from hotels.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Visitors to Branson praise the hospitality of this community. What they may not know is that some of Branson\u2019s population\u2014including some who are in the workforce\u2014are living in motel rooms they rent by the week or in the woods around town. And among that population are children. On Sept. 24, Branson\u2019s hospitality will be extended […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes"},"categories":[22,13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/broadcast.branson.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2554"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/broadcast.branson.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/broadcast.branson.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/broadcast.branson.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/broadcast.branson.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2554"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/broadcast.branson.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2554\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/broadcast.branson.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/broadcast.branson.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/broadcast.branson.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}