HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — Some people in Houston County are coming together to lend a helping hand to the homeless.
Tian Foss is executive director of the Houston County Family Connection. January 2021, she began hosting monthly meetings to inform first responders of the resources available to help the homeless.
"So part of my thinking was, gosh, 'What do police officers do when they come across homeless? And well, how do they respond? What do they give them for resources?'," she said.
Foss says these questions led her to gather police and fire chief's in one room. She also included leaders of other resources including mental health services, housing and food.
Foss says they're in the process of creating a handheld resource guide that first responders can give out to the homeless.
"So that instead of just saying, 'I'm sorry, I don't know where you need to go.' They can say, 'Here are some resources. And here's who you need to contact in order to find out if you're eligible, or if you want to get into those programs'," Foss said.
Pastor David Wynn's church has helped feed the homeless for the past seven years. There is only one homeless shelter in Houston County that doesn't have eligibility requirements -- Wynn says he hopes to see more soon.
"What I would like to see in the city of Warner Robins to renovate a building and turn it into a homeless shelter. We need, what we call here, a warming center," Wynn said.
Foss says collaboration will bring a change. She says they'll be meeting the third Thursday of each month along with the Houston County Human Needs Coalition.
"There are lots of people trying to do great things out there for the homeless. The problem is, it's not coordinated, therefore, it's just one lady, or one family or one church. But together, we all bring our time, talents and resources," she said.