Columbia’s War on Poverty: Hot and homeless
To some extent, probably most of us think about our neighbors facing homelessness a little bit most days, simply because they are right there in front of us (setting aside those who completely tune them out, of which all of us are guilty from time to time). That said, if there is a time of year we think about homelessness most, it is probably winter. The winter can get so cold here in Columbia; one would have to be inhuman to not think about those living in it.
But what about the summer heat? What about temperatures in the 80s, 90s and even above 100 degrees Fahrenheit? Most of us have air conditioned homes, offices and cars where we can escape the oppressive weather conditions.
Not everybody has their own place to go. If you do not have a home, an office, a car, where do you go to escape? What do you do? Remember, you have little or no money so for the most part you can’t even get relief in one of the coffee shops so many of us love. Businesses and their glorious air conditioning are almost entirely off limits to those facing homelessness.
Well, if you were facing homelessness in Columbia and needed someplace to go during the day, one of your top choices would be the Daniel Boone Regional Library. Did you know that? Did you realize that our library is one of the great unsung heroes of our fight against homelessness (or, at least, our effort to keep people facing homelessness alive and healthy enough that we might help them rise above what they are facing).
Yes, our library probably serves more people facing homelessness during the day, every day, than any other entity. Just by being open and letting anyone stay who walks through their doors, our library is one of Columbia’s greatest champions of the poverty services community.
Thinking of city resources, we should also mention Stephens Lake Park, other city parks and city pools. Shade can be surprisingly helpful during the summer months, and Stephens also has the lake and pool. It is worth noting that city pools and people facing homelessness often do not mix so well.
Aside from the city resources, those of us in the poverty services community are doing what we can. The Salvation Army Harbor House cools those staying there, of course, but that is a very specific group. When we can, we also open extra space during the day for people facing homelessness to cool off, as temperatures climb above 100.
To be honest, none of us do a great job of publicizing the services we offer people facing homelessness during the hot, hot heat of the summer months. All of us — including Love Columbia, Voluntary Action Center, Central Missouri Community Action, and others — will certainly offer what comfort we can as it gets hotter and hotter (the organizations I mention really are amazing, year-round); we should probably all find better ways to communicate what we are doing and serve more and more people.
Talking about people facing homelessness and the hotter months, we really should take a moment to remember those living at other levels of poverty. Can you imagine your house during the summer if it wasn’t air conditioned? What if you have little kids? Babies? Folks with medical conditions?
There are plenty of homes in Columbia where 90-plus-degrees inside is the status quo for two to four months of the year. You don’t have to be facing homelessness to get heat stroke.
Writing this article, I am going to take this as a reminder that I need to think about what we at The Salvation Army are doing to help people who are facing the worst of the summer heat with very little protection or comfort.
What more can we do? What more can the poverty services community do? What can you do?
Major Curtiss Hartley is a leader of The Salvation Army in Mid-Missouri, with facilities in Columbia and Jefferson City. The Salvation Army provides a wide range of community services to address poverty and other issues, seeking to rebuild lives and create lasting change.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Columbia’s War on Poverty: Hot and homeless
