By Jeff Devine, Editor-in-Chief, Dale County Chronicle.
OZARK — Ozark Mayor Charles Ward called a community brainstorming session earlier this week aimed at addressing rising homelessness and improving coordination among organizations serving vulnerable populations in the area. It was standing room only as a large group of people, made up of concerned citizens and representatives of a wide range of nonprofits, organizations, churches, and other groups, attended the meeting.
The meeting, held on Tuesday, Jan. 13, at the Ozark Municipal Complex, brought together representatives from local nonprofits and community groups to share information about existing services and resources available to individuals experiencing homelessness in Ozark. The goal of the discussion was to identify ways the city and its nonprofit partners can work more collaboratively to respond to what Mayor Ward described as an “urgent community issue.”
Ward then encouraged those in attendance to be courteous and when they see others bringing the members of the homeless community down, to “not get in a fight, but tell them this is not the way to talk to or treat them (the homeless). There are so many organizations that can help, and we need to work together to develop an effective plan that will help.”
The session focused on improving communication and coordination among the organizations already providing assistance, with an emphasis on avoiding duplication of services while strengthening support networks for those in need.
“This is an important first step in bringing our community partners together,” Ward said. “By understanding what resources are available and how we can work collectively, we can take a more effective and compassionate approach to addressing homelessness in Ozark.”
Ward also said he wants to create a task force dedicated to achieving real results for those experiencing homelessness.
“I’m thankful you all are here because it shows that you care and want to volunteer and help [us address this]. My vision is to [establish] a task force made up of subject matter experts with an expert from every group that deals with the homeless.”
Ward then commended those in attendance, praising the fact that so many people and representatives from various nonprofits and other organizations showed up to help bring attention to homelessness and work on developing real solutions to address the problem of homelessness in the community.
“I know we aren’t going to be able to fix everyone’s problems, but we are certainly going to try. There are a lot of people who want to help the homeless, but I feel like we are treating the symptoms instead of getting to the root of the problem. There are a lot of reasons why [these people are struggling with] homelessness. You got everything from drug dependency, alcohol dependency, money problems, PTSD, and so many other issues. So we can’t use a cookie-cutter solution. But what I do believe from the experts in this room, you can bring solutions to the table, and I’m hoping we can work together to help them. The long-range goal is…understanding what happened in these people’s lives to figure out what made them lose hope. Treating them with respect and courtesy is crucial.”
Ward then spoke about the “just a few members of the community who are just nasty and don’t want to deal or care about these people, and they…say things that are discouraging … .and I want us as a community to reach out a helping hand to help them. I want to hear everyone’s ideas, and we will put them all together and lay out a vision that is made up of all of our ideas.”
Information gathered during the meeting will be used to encourage greater collaboration among nonprofits and community partners, strengthen existing programs, and explore opportunities for more coordinated solutions in the future.
City leaders say additional meetings and discussions are expected as the City of Ozark continues its efforts to address homelessness and support residents facing housing insecurity.
Mayor Ward emphasized that the initiative is ongoing and that community involvement will remain a key component as the city works toward long-term solutions.
Some groups in attendance include the Roberta Rose Foundation, Explicit Customs Car Club, Mission Worthy, Mary Hill Family Service Center, Shall B Ministries, Ozark Baptist Church, Ridgecrest Baptist Church, Trinity Methodist, other church groups, Dale County Rescue Mission, Winnie Frazier of Wiregrass Rising, a staff representative from Congressman Barry Moore’s office, a large number of concerned citizens, Dale County Chapter of the Association for Service Agencies, SpectraCare, and many others.
Photo by Jeff Devine.
The mayor is expected to release more information about upcoming task force meetings in the future, and the Dale County Chronicle will keep you informed about the progress of this effort. Below, you can watch video we recorded of the meeting.
The video above was recorded by Jeff Devine of the Dale County Chronicle. You can view all of our videos by subscribing to our free YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/@dalecountychronicle
