Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Church takes steps to help homeless, others

By Times editorial
Published February 20, 2007

With the ranks of the homeless growing and the government safety net for the needy full of holes, the responsibility for helping those in need is increasingly falling to individuals and groups.

When that responsibility is recognized, it is a hopeful sign.

St. Timothy's Lutheran Church in Tarpon Springs is stepping up to fulfill a practical need of the homeless: a place where they can clean up, make phone calls, receive mail and store their belongings.

The church plans to build a day-use center on 5 acres of land owned by the congregation. The building likely will include showers, lockers, laundry facilities, mail boxes and free phones. Homeless people who want to apply for jobs will be able to use the center to make and receive phone calls and receive mail from potential employers. If they get a job interview, the Shepherd Center of Tarpon Springs will outfit them in proper clothing for the interview.

"A day-use center has long been a dream for us in the greater Tarpon Springs area," said Ronald Moldenhauer, president of the church congregation.

However, that isn't all St. Timothy's is willing to do for the less fortunate.

The church also will lease part of its 5 acres to Community Health Centers of Pinellas for construction of an 8,000-square-foot health center that will offer medical and dental care with fees based on what individuals can afford.

The health center will not just be for the homeless, but for anyone whose income qualifies them for free or low-cost medical services. Construction of the building will be funded by a federal grant.

The church is doing even more. Church officials hope that the property's location near an existing apartment building that has affordable rents will lead to an arrangement to provide transitional housing for homeless people who get jobs through the drop-in center.

If there is a downside to the church's plans, it is that the new services likely will not be available until late 2008. For many individuals and families living in the woods, in abandoned buildings or in their cars, the situation is dire now.

While it waits for construction of the new facilities to be completed, perhaps the church could help out at places like the Shepherd Center or at other existing facilities in North Pinellas, thereby allowing the congregation and its leaders to make contacts in the homeless community and gain greater understanding of the needs of the homeless.

Other churches in North Pinellas could consider St. Timothy's a model for starting their own projects, no matter how small. The problem is great and growing, and everyone can help.

[Last modified February 19, 2007, 22:51:48]