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EDITORIAL: Much more to do to combat homelessness

Wichita Eagle (KS) - 11/29/2015

Nov. 29--Many in our community and state have too little, to the point of lacking even a place to sleep. This year-round shame deserves special attention in this season of warm wishes and frigid nights, and more coordinated and focused leadership among elected officials, nonprofit groups and churches.

Among the points of concern, according to an Eagle report on the latest data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development:

-- Homelessness has increased in Kansas by 23 percent since 2007, while falling by nearly 13 percent in the U.S.

-- Though the overall homeless population declined in Sedgwick County this year, to 561 from 631, it remains nearly the largest it's been since 2008.

-- About 100 homeless people in Wichita and Sedgwick County are unsheltered individuals, about double the number in 2007 and 17 percent of the homeless population.

-- About 30 and 11 percent of homeless veterans are unsheltered in Wichita and Kansas, respectively -- a particular disappointment given that Wichita joined a national effort to eliminate homelessness among veterans by the end of 2015.

If being homeless and without shelter is no way to live, it's no way to die either. Yet earlier this month the body of a homeless man who'd reportedly been camping out was found in McAdams Park.

Countering homelessness, chronic and otherwise, continues to see successes locally, too, especially when shelter is needed for families and those fleeing domestic violence.

Inter-Faith Ministries' Warming Souls Winter Shelter expands the system's capacity every November through March, and was closing in Friday on its crowdfunding campaign at youcaring.com to raise $25,000 for needed repairs.

The Eagle recently highlighted the Wichita Police Department's Homeless Outreach Team, which Officer Nate Schwiethale said "tries to build a friendship or a partnership and get them to trust us so we can work on their recovery." The article told about how the team's efforts and the local Housing First program helped transform one such chronically homeless man -- who'd been repeatedly busted for public urination and disorderly conduct -- into an employed homeowner drawing no government assistance.

The overflow winter shelter, the Housing First program and United Methodist Open Door's one-stop resource and referral center were among goals set in 2008 by the city-county task force on ending chronic homelessness. So was increased cooperation among local agencies that serve the homeless, which deserves some credit for the homeless population's decline from 2014 to 2015.

But there is much more to do.

Fortunately, there are a lot of ways to help these and other needy neighbors, especially from now through Christmas and New Year's Day. Check out the nonprofit wish list in the Sunday Eagle and at Kansas.com, or contribute through the websites of groups including United Way of the Plains, Catholic Charities, Inter-Faith Ministries, United Methodist Open Door, the Salvation Army and the Union Rescue Mission.

Knowing that homelessness is hard to eradicate should be a reason to target it harder.

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(c)2015 The Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kan.)

Visit The Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kan.) at www.kansas.com

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