Jake Browning
reporter@thefranklinpress.com
On Wednesday, Jan. 29, charitable organizations all over North Carolina participated in the annual Point In Time count to evaluate the status of homelessness in the state.
Macon New Beginnings tallied 60 homeless people in Macon County, a number that may exclude any number of people currently participating in residency programs, who have temporary living arrangements or who are otherwise inaccessible to Macon New Beginnings. Last year’s count found 53 homeless people.
Is the need enough to justify a dedicated homeless shelter in Macon County?
Paul Toney, director of the Restoration House in Bryson City, certainly thinks so. Restoration House established the Sweet Dreams Shelter in Bryson City in November 2019 to give homeless citizens temporary lodging while pursuing more permanent options.
In the three months since it opened, the shelter has received 35 applications and served 13 residents (several applicants have been turned down due to criminal histories). Toney estimates that there are about 60 homeless people in Swain County too, so he expects a Macon County shelter could expect a similar response.
“Even if it’s just a small-scale shelter, it can help,” Toney said. “At least then you’re learning faces. You’re learning more about the problem.”
Not enough information
Local officials aren’t so sure the county has enough homeless people to justify a shelter, partially because of a lack of information. Macon New Beginnings’ total still has to be evaluated by the state before they put out an official study to make sure every person counted is counted exactly once and really is homeless, or “lacking a fixed, adequate residence,” by the state definition.
“I don’t think we have a real handle on what we’re dealing with,” Franklin Mayor Bob Scott said. “We don’t know how big or small the problem is.”
Macon County commissioner Jim Tate feels that what information is available doesn’t suggest a need for a shelter. The county and a network of private entities in the area have resources set aside to help the homeless upon request, but not everyone who needs help seeks it out. Tate doesn’t think that a shelter would provide for enough people to be a wise investment for the county.
“We do have provisions for them in emergencies,” Tate said. “We can set them up in hotels and connect them with churches, but we can’t do anything for them until they talk to us.”
Those emergency services make a significant difference in times of severe weather. In addition to churches and hotels, Warren Cabe, Macon County emergency services director, said that schools and public buildings like the Department of Public Health also open their doors to the homeless during times of great need.
These aren’t viable solutions in the long term, due to the variety of other essential services offered through those facilities. Cabe feels that a lack of space for all vital county functions is a major roadblock to the possibility of establishing a permanent homeless shelter.
“A lot of services they provide would be displaced if we made more permanent arrangements,” Cabe said. “We don’t want to displace any of those people.”
Unless major revelations come through in the 2020 Point In Time count, Macon County will probably maintain its current level of service for homeless populations with confidence that public and private entities are already doing all that they can.