Hollywood, MD – While the great outdoors can be a positive place, sometimes you need to be inside. Having shelter is right up there with food and water on the survival list. It should be alarming to anyone, that an estimated 100 million of Earth’s human residents are deemed homeless. Even more troubling is the data that shows 1.6 billion of those who have a place to live are deemed as having “inadequate housing” for themselves and their families.
According to the web-site/Facebook page www.daysoftheyear.com, National Roof Over Your Head Day was born out of the response to the number of homeless people out there. The special day—Dec. 3—“brings awareness that so many don’t have a roof over their head,” the web-site noted, describing the observance as “a call to charity and social awareness.”
The site gives a special shout-out this year to Salt Lake City, Utah, which has dramatically reduced its homeless problem by building homes for those who need shelter for just $7,800 a year. The city had been paying $20,000 a year for police, arrests, jail, healthcare etc. for the homeless but with the unique construction project Salt Lake City has reduced homelessness by over 70 percent and saved money.
In Maryland, there’s The Baltimore Station, an innovative, therapeutic program supporting armed forces veterans and others transitioning through the cycle of poverty, addiction, and homelessness to self-sufficiency. According to its web site, www.baltimorestation.org, over 40 percent of the nation’s homeless men are veterans “who sleep in the streets every night. Approximately 76 percent of the homeless vets experience alcohol, drug or mental health problems.
In Southern Maryland, Calvert County has responded to the homeless problem with Project ECHO, started in 1992 by the Ecumenical Council of Calvert County. The project leaders have declared the effort “more than beds and meals.” It’s a 90-day program that offers ancillary programs designed to encourage “personal growth and independence.” For the past 16 years, Project ECHO has also provided “transitional housing.”
The daysoftheyear.com writers urge their readers to celebrate National Roof Over Your Head Day by “giving others the opportunity.” Project ECHO needs volunteers every day of the week—in their thrift store, shelter monitors, meal providers—and individuals supporting their fundraisers, such as the recently run Turkey Trot 5K and the Empty Bowl Supper in early spring. Volunteers and resources support from businesses and individuals are also needed for those events to be successful.
Enjoy and appreciate the roof over your head, today and every day.
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com