It’s easy to get the idea that homelessness is only an urban problem. Most of the homeless are in cities. But as factories and farms die, it’s becoming a rural problem as well, at least in parts of Northwest North Carolina. So it’s good that a group in Surry County is taking action.
“I think a lot of folks assume that homelessness is a problem that only exists in the cities,” Wayne Black, the county’s director of social services, told the Journal’s Sherry Youngquist. “We do have homelessness in rural areas. The economy has been an issue. They layoffs from many manufacturer plants - that trickles down.”
The Surry Homeless and Affordable Housing Coalition is using a $180,000 federal grant to confront this problem before it becomes a major one. With that money, the coalition is hiring the county’s first full-time caseworker for the homeless and will provide the county’s first subsidized housing for homeless people with disabilities.
These are smart moves that should complement each other. The caseworker should become the person who connects the homeless with those six units of permanent housing, as well as all sorts of other help. The caseworker will be paid about $30,000 annually, with help expected from the county. The job should be demanding, but fulfilling.
“What we hope one day is that the caseworker would go out all over the county, introducing herself to Realtors, church leaders, anyone who might know homeless people,” said Jane Motsinger, the coalition president. “We hope our caseworker turns into the homeless guru, be so well-known that if a homeless person walks into the Baptist church in Mount Airy, the secretary knows who to call.”
Even in a rural county, there can be bureaucracy and confusion in helping the homeless. The government red tape that must be cut through to get many benefits is the same in Surry as it is anywhere else. In addition, many people who would like to help the homeless might not know how to best do that. And the homeless themselves need help navigating the system.
The right caseworker can help with all of the above.
But it won’t, of course, be easy. For one thing, the rural homeless aren’t always easy to find. A January count of the homeless in Surry turned up fewer than 90. But Motsinger is probably correct in her belief that that number is low. That count doesn’t take in people staying with relatives because they can’t stay anywhere else, she said.
The coalition was formed in 2001 in response to an increase in referrals to the few shelters in the area. The numbers of homeless are likely to increase. The caseworker and the coalition must find them and help them, whether they’re staying in campgrounds, on the street or with relatives.
The coalition has made some smart moves at confronting this problem. Those who can help in this effort should do so.
