Newspapers / University of North Carolina … / Dec. 1, 2010, edition 1 / Page 2
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J News Page 2 {The Blue Banner} Wednesday, December 1, 2010 Key Center works with local initiative to end homelessness Trevor Metcalfe TOMETCAL@UNCA.EDU STAFF WRITER A recent partnership between UNC Asheville and local government helped create awareness and support for the millions of Americans without a place to call home. “This city of Asheville, not that long ago, developed a partnership with UNCA, and this joint work on the homelessness and hunger awareness week is a perfect example of that part nership in action,” said Amy Sawyer, coordinator of the Asheville Home less Initiative, a program seeking long-term solutions for homelessness. The UNCA Key Center for Service Learning, in collaboration with the Asheville Homeless Initiative, recently participated in National Homelessness and Hunger Awareness Week. Events included a week-long food drive and a reading and showing of The Soloist. “Most of the people who came to the book discussion were either homeless or formerly homeless individuals,” said Laura Furey, associate director for the Key Center. The center also set up a table in the Highsmith Union for the week, deliv ering information about homelessness and issuing pledges to people who wished to help the cause. “We had about 45 people sign the pledges, so that was great as well,” Furey said. All food donations will go to the Emma Family Resource Center, a lo cal food pantry and resource center for struggling families. Furey said the Key Center chose Emma due to its local ized distribution rather than a larger organization such as the MANNA FoodBank. “We’re keeping it local,” Furey said. For the project, the Key Center col laborated with the Asheville Homeless Initiative. Sawyer said if focuses on implementing a 10-year plan to end homelessness. “Our basic goal is to implement the 10-year plan, which will end chronic homelessness and reduce all types of homelessness over the next decade by investing resources and a coordinat- Steven Hall/contributing photographer A homeless man, Fred, sits under the 1-240 overpass on Lexington Avenue. The Asheville Homeless Initia tive collaborated with the UNCA Key Center on implementing a 10-year plan to end homelessness. ed, sustained effort that addresses the underlying causes of homelessness,” Sawyer said. Sawyer said the initiative attempts to find long-term solu tions to the home- lessness problem, rather than short term fixes. According to a 2005 con gressional research report, there are anywhere from half a million to 2.5 million homeless people in the United States. ‘Our basic premise is that the best Laura Furey ness is housing,” Sawyer said. “So, we focus on helping people access hous ing and also the ser vices that they may need to keep that housing.” Sawyer said the, project was a collab orative effort and a combination of federal, state, and lo cals funds support the initiative. “The project works with service providers, businesses, residents and people experiencing homelessness in a Eric Boyce and only known solution to homeless- see homeless Page 71 Kate Santos/staff photographer Mark Gibson, a homeless man, lives on the streets of Asheviile.
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