November is National Homelessness Awareness Month and one local organization wants to increase awareness of the homelessness situation in this area with a special lunch.
Chippewa-Luce-Mackinac Community Action Agency is holding a Homelessness Awareness Lunch Nov. 2nd from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. at Avery Square in downtown Sault Ste. Marie.
Unlike traditional fundraisers, the event is not centered around raising a set amount of money but rather on feeding those in need and raising awareness. While there is a suggested donation of $8 per person, all are welcome to join regardless of their ability to pay.
"This will be our second year doing a fundraiser under the brand ‘Homelessness Awareness Month’, however we have held a variety of fundraisers to raise funds for homelessness resources. Some of these include a brat sale fundraiser, coin drive with the schools, and retail round-up partnerships," said Joe Nolan, CLMCA Executive Director
Fundraisers are a vital part of the organization as it offers the opportunity to raise awareness.
"We have other fundraisers to raise funds, but this idea stems from the understanding that our homeless population in the area is not visible, like you would see in a metropolitan area, and we don’t believe our community is fully aware of the actual population in our communities that live without a roof over their head," Nolan said.
Nolan dispels the belief that the homeless in our community do not want help and that the community lacks the resources for this population.
"Our area has not had a shelter since 2021, and our homeless population continues to increase. We strongly aim to make the community aware of the situation in their area. The issue exists and our community lacks the resources for this population. I would say though that only about 1 in 100 of clients we have contact with that are homeless refuse services. So for that 1 individual, they have the right to live however they want to live, but we still offer other resources if they refuse shelter such as food and transportation," Nolan concluded.
