LINCOLN COUNTY, Ore., July 3, 2017 (Newswire.com) - Over the last decade, Lincoln County has been increasingly facing a menacing rise in the number of homeless people. A 2010 U.S. Census estimated that over 7,600 people (16.2 percent of the total population) live in poverty in the county, along with 23.3 percent of the youth. The county's unemployment rate was at 10.2 percent back in 2010. However, these statistics have only gotten ever worse with each passing year.
A January 2015 study found out that the city's homeless people count had risen to over 13,200, while the homeless children count had recorded an all-time high of 717. Despite a number of research studies, campaigns and plans aimed at curbing this growing problem such as the 10-year "At Home In Lincoln County," both government officials as well as non-profit organizations had been fairly unsuccessful at making any significant improvements. With things seemingly at an impasse, a viral social media post inspired local entrepreneur Cassandra Marsh to take matters into her own hands and tackle the problem from a different perspective:
"I read about this guy Jake Austin who bought a used truck and renovated the interior to make it a mobile shower unit that provides homeless people a safe place to take warm showers, shave and other sanitation facilities that homeless people lack. He even employed them to make soap! This made me realize that the homeless problem can be mitigated through clever and innovative solutions.
"All research so far has focused on the housing aspect as the dominant cause and solution, but in my opinion, the influence of unemployment was not given the level of attention it merited. It's the age-old saying, give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Subsidies and housing benefits are merely the supporting cast in this movie; the lead role is actually finding the homeless jobs to sustain themselves without having to rely on others. This to me was clearly the more beneficial workaround to getting closer toward finding a solution to the problem."
People have long been perplexed, often out of sheer frustration, as to why the homeless can't just get a job. Cassandra said: "The truth is a lot of them potentially could, but it's hard to get a job when you 'look' homeless. No one wants to even entertain a person with disheveled hair and torn ragged clothes, let alone employ them. So I took a leaf out of Jake's book and came up with a plan to make the homeless of our county as presentable and sharp as possible so they can make a good first impression at job interviews and get hired.
"My team and I organized a number of drives to raise awareness about our mission which got an overwhelming response from our local community. Thousands of our generous, more affluent residents came forward to donate work clothes and suits for interviews. People volunteered to help our homeless people prepare for interviews and work on their resumes; we raised money through crowd-funding for a used van that we fitted with a washer and dryer to provide the homeless with an opportunity to do their laundry, and also teamed up with a local NGO that provides access to free haircuts and showers.
"There were even some magnanimous local cafes, bakeries and restaurants that agreed to provide free meals on the day prior to and the day of the job interviews for our homeless to ensure their blood sugar levels remain optimal and they can function to the best of their cognitive ability with complete concentration."
That's not where Cassandra Marsh stopped though; she had innovative ways to actually ensure jobs for the homeless: "The most obvious thing that struck me was how they would make perfect tour guides; they have been to and know each and every nook and corner of the town and perhaps other close-by ones as well. It helped that the local officials that represented our county actually cared about this issue enough to act on it, and we were able to get the government to offer them free courses about the history associated with local points of interest. After that, a few private tourism companies gave them jobs as tour guides! Some were also hired by the local government as well as local business owners in a custodial capacity to ensure the streets remain clean and litter-free.
"There is big money in sports right now, and we thought it would be a potentially great idea for the franchises to hire the homeless for grounds work on their maintenance teams, and on game days let them man food and beverage stalls for an hourly wage. They could even be put in charge of maintaining decorum and helping out with security outside of stadiums which are notorious for brawls. We sold our idea convincingly to several pro sports franchises and leagues by emphasizing on how it would be a great PR move for them. So far 3 of them have assured us they will be acting upon our suggestions by the start of the new sports season in the fall."
Cassandra Marsh's work has had tremendous impact and will hopefully encourage others to follow in her footsteps. Rob O'Neal, one of the homeless people whose life she turned around for the better, summed it up best: "I had started losing faith in people, and then out of nowhere, everything changed. I saw how much good there is in this world, how many people are willing to lend a helping hand to those in need. I was within an inch of losing hope, but I owe my life to the people of this great town, especially Cassandra. I got more than I could ever dream of, and my only wish now is to do my part and give back to help someone who is in the position I was in till a little while back. All this world needs is love and compassion for each other. There is so much beauty and happiness in sharing and caring for others."
Source: Cassandra Marsh
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