Lee County Homeless Coalition hosts event to help those in need, work to eliminate homelessness

Reporter: Dannielle Garcia
Published: Updated:
Lee County Homeless Coalition Homeless Service Day (WINK News)

Helping those who need it—that was the goal of Saturday’s Homeless Service Day hosted by the Lee County Homeless Coalition.

Thousands of people without a permanent home came by for some encouragement and basic necessities.

Different organizations offered food, addiction services, employment information, flu shots and even hair cuts.

One man told us this event gave him hope to turn his life around.

“The love and support is just, like, overwhelming from the community,” said Robert Mensching. “I don’t have too many people supporting me right now because of the decisions I’ve made in the past, so for the community to come together and just…I got my hair cut from Fantastic Sam’s; it’s amazing!”

The Homeless Coalition estimates more than 3,000 people in Lee County are homeless and their goal is to make that rare or obsolete.

“Transportation is a big issue for people who are experiencing homelessness,” said Janet Bartos, executive director for the Lee County Homeless Coalition, “so it’s hard for them to get to the different service agencies so that they can become more self-sufficient, so we’re providing everything here today.”

If you’d like to volunteer with the Homeless Coalition, click here.

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