Even a break in the summer heat does little to ease the burdens of those in our community who are homeless and living in poverty. Officials at City Union Mission say the recent milder temperatures produced no decrease in demand for food, shelter, addiction recovery, life-skills training and other comprehensive programs that meet essential needs and empower struggling people to get back on their feet.
However, the Mission is reporting a drop in donated income, and that has Executive Director Dan Doty concerned. “Right now we’re over $100,000 behind what we had received at this point in time in 2015,” he says.
This puts the Mission significantly under budget for the fiscal year, which ends September 30, and Doty is calling on the community for increased support.
“When we ask for help to meet our budget, what we’re really requesting is support to meet the number we’ve determined will allow us to provide the vital care and comprehensive programs our homeless and hurting neighbors need to survive and turn their lives around.” —Executive Director Dan Doty
“We often say, ‘There is no off season for homelessness,’ and that certainly holds true in this situation,” Doty explains.
Dan Doty
“Families are more likely to be evicted this time of year when landlords don’t have to be concerned about turning them out into the cold,” he says, adding that people lose jobs and can’t pay rent or utility bills just as often in the summer as in the winter, and addiction destroys lives year-round.
The typical high temperatures and humidity, which are guaranteed to return in full force, will continue to cause heat-related problems the Mission sees as well. “The homeless, especially those who are older, often suffer with respiratory problems and risk dehydration and heat stroke,” Doty said.
The Mission is asking for financial donations to ensure they can care for varied needs of our Kansas City community throughout the remainder of the summer months and into the fall.
“When we ask for help to meet our budget, what we’re really requesting is support to meet the number we’ve determined will allow us to provide the vital care and comprehensive programs our homeless and hurting neighbors need to survive and turn their lives around,” Doty says. “I encourage all those who can, that they will step up to help at this critical time.”
Donations can be made any time online at www.cityunionmission.org. Information on the Mission’s full range of programs and services can be found on the site as well.
City Union Mission is an evangelical Christian ministry committed to sharing the Gospel and meeting the spiritual, physical, and emotional needs of men, women and children who are poor or homeless.