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Local aid organizations gather to coordinate resources
By WILLIAM NORTHCUTT
Staff Reporter
Multiple aid organizations gathered on Tuesday, September 10, at the Dyersburg Salvation Army for a session designed to better coordinate services for area residents in need.
Attending were representatives and staff from the Salvation Army, Matthew 25:40, Soul Food, Dyersburg Warming Shelter, WRAP, Coats of Hope (Cornerstone Church of God), Dyer County Health Department, West Tennessee Legal Services, Northwest Tennessee Economic Development Council (NWTEDC), United Way of West Tennessee, and Dyersburg Cumberland Presbyterian Church.
Salvation Army Director Lisa Chesney stated, “It was important to me to host this meeting so we can foster a collaboration by sharing knowledge and resources leading to more effective services for our clients in our community.”
The common goal, Chesney explained, is so that when someone in need comes into one agency, staff can help them find resources at other agencies too. Chesney remarked, “Networking like this will allow us to strengthen relationships between nonprofits, agencies, and community organizations. This allows us all to understand the evolving needs of our community while identifying gaps in services where additional resources or support are needed. Together, we can be a unified voice.”
Delta Newhouse of the WRAP relative caregiver program, said, “This would be a first step in empowering those in need to get assistance.”
Those gathered agreed that one of the most pressing problems is homelessness.
Chesney said, “Just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean homelessness doesn’t exist.” Reverend Victor Hassell of Cumberland Presbyterian Church said that he knew of at least “32 people experiencing homelessness.” Shea Curry with the NWTEDC said of local and state governments, “The need to see the homelessness.” She said she was told by officials, “Homelessness is not a problem.”
The group also discussed the victimization of the needy by “slum lords,” who, the group said, who take advantage of their would-be tenants, charging exorbitant application fees, and for their tenants, over-charging for utilities.
Matthew 25:40 Director Misty Hutcheson said that people need to understand that her organization nor the others can give out hotel/motel vouchers.
She added, “The majority of people think the problem is drug addiction. It’s not,” she said. While sometimes drugs are involved, mostly it’s mental illness.”
Another problem for the homeless and getting help from the state, said Hassell, is the criteria used for classification: “If you have a car, you’re not considered homeless; if you sleep on a couch for a night, you’re not considered homeless; if you sleep one night in a hotel, you’re not considered homeless.”
Stefania Wheeler, Northwest Director of Donor Development at United Way of West Tennessee, said, “Every single one of us is one catastrophe away from being in need.”
She said the United Way’s 211 Hub allows groups such as those gathered to register their services. People in need of assistance can text the word “benefits” to the number and start the process of finding available resources. Additionally, McIver’s Grant Public Library has a 211 terminal set up for the needy to contact the hub. Wheeler said, “You do not have to be a United Way participating agency to join the hub.”
Of the evening’s purpose, Chesney said, “It is my hope that we can advocate for policy changes pertaining to homelessness as a united front while raising awareness about the challenges faced by those in need.”