On September 26, as part of Merced County’s 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness, the Hoffmeister Center of Central Presbyterian Church hosted the 2014 Merced Homeless Connect event, a one day event aimed to provide a wide range of free services to people who are homeless. Services like free haircuts, showers, financial aid information, social security benefits, were granted from the government and nonprofit organizations.
Individuals who were previously homeless like Michael Cooper got to help others. Cooper, 40, used to sleep under bridges until he learned he was eligible to receive financial aid and attend Merced College.
Many wonder, “How many homeless people are there in the County of Merced on any given day?”Every year, to answer this question, the County of Merced does a homeless count and survey with the help of volunteers and various organizations.
The count and survey that was taken in February of this year by the Merced County Continuum of Care stated that there were 786 homeless individuals in the county and in the city of Merced alone, 476. These numbers are suggested to be due to factors like increase in rent, loss of jobs, health care costs, domestic violence, physical or mental disabilities, and substance abuse.
Representative Jim Costa said in an interview about the Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance competitive grant program, “During recent meetings with city and county officials, chronic homelessness in the Merced area has repeatedly been brought up as a challenge that must be addressed. These grants are a down payment on current efforts to break the cycle and make sure that everyone in the Valley has a safe place to call home. There is still much more to do to tackle this problem, but I’ll be fighting with you every step of the way.”
In other cities like Pasadena, Denver, Orlando, and San Diego, the movement to raise awareness and fight homelessness has taken a big step with donation meters installed in the cities. With the grants given to the county of Merced, donation meters to provide housing for homeless could be what the city needs to win their fight against it.
Maricela Rocha
Staff Writer
mrocha4@ucmerced.edu