Donations down at local agencies

The Rescue Mission's donations are down $50,000 from this time last year.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- As the holidays approach, so does the threat of snowfall and frigid temperatures, which could be deadly for Mahoning County's homeless population.
At the same time, agencies that coordinate efforts to provide cold-weather shelter -- and potentially save lives -- are short of money.
The Rescue Mission's donations are down $50,000 from this time last year, the Rev. David L. Sherrard, director of the Rescue Mission said during a press conference Thursday.
Representatives of Help Hotline Crisis Center, Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley and many other county social service agencies marked the start of the county's 16th annual cold weather emergency shelter program with the press conference in an upstairs dormitory at the Rescue Mission.
Bob Altman, program director for the Help Hotline Crisis Center, is coordinator of the cold weather emergency shelter program. He said the program is a coordinated effort among multiple community organizations. Homeless individuals and families often sleep in their vehicles, abandoned buildings, doorways or anywhere they can get out of the cold, Altman said.
At capacity
Neil Bunkley of the Rescue Mission said the mission is trying to find off-site shelter for homeless women and children because the mission's family center is at capacity.
Bunkley said the mission can shelter only 45 women and children, not because there is no more room, but because there isn't enough funding. The mission could shelter 60 women and children, but there isn't enough money available to pay the staff needed if 15 more women and children were to stay there.
Walter Duzzny, director of Mahoning County Emergency Management Agency, said he has been involved with the cold weather emergency shelter program because cold weather is a life-or-death emergency for the homeless.
He said that donations to area charities such as the Rescue Mission are down in part because people have donated to international and national relief efforts such as tsunami relief or to help victims of the hurricanes that battered the southern coastal areas of the United States.
Terry Vicars of Catholic Charities said he sees people who are chronically homeless and others who become homeless due to unemployment or eviction.
Working homeless
Altman said there is a new group of homeless emerging -- the working homeless -- individuals and heads of families who work but are homeless because they don't have enough money to pay for security deposits needed to rent an apartment or turn on utilities. He said Rescue Mission can shelter the working homeless up to three months until they save enough money to move into an apartment.
Altman said during 2004-05, the cold weather emergency shelter program sheltered 233 males and 82 females. Included in those figures are 20 children.
The program operates through March 31, 2006, 9 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. Transportation is provided if needed. People in need of shelter can receive help by calling Help Hotline at (800) 427-3606 or 211.