Homelessness Awareness Week

Shop on Friday, March 1 and Oryana will donate 2% of the day’s sales + a round-up at the register. The proceeds will go to Safe Harbor.

Traverse City is a foodie town, a cherry mecca, and is surrounded by beautiful waters, but something we don’t often mention is that we have a significant homeless population. In the last year, the Goodwill Inn provided shelter for 592 individuals. The reasons for homelessness range from mental illness or physical disabilities to addiction or job loss. Some people are born into lower income situations and have fewer opportunities or resources to lift themselves out of poverty. Whatever the reasons are that bring people to homelessness, help is available in our area.

If you or someone you know is experiencing homelessness, there are several local resources here in Traverse City.

• The Goodwill Inn has 120 beds and 11 family rooms. Stays at the Inn can be as long as 90 days and include assistance in finding permanent housing.
• Safe Harbor provides seasonal emergency shelter and has 71 beds. They are open November through April, 6pm to 8am daily. 
• Pete’s Place, operated by Third Level Crisis Center, is an emergency shelter for 14 to 17-year-old youths. Youths can stay for up to two weeks and participate in programs in a safe, positive environment that are focused on reintegrating them with their families if it’s feasible, or getting them into the Foster Care system.
• Patriot Place serves homeless male veterans coping with disabilities such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, substance abuse disorders and/or mental health concerns. Veterans can stay up to two years and have opportunities to live independently with supportive services.
• Carson Square is Goodwill’s 100% permanent, supportive housing for families and people who are facing homelessness and for survivors of domestic abuse.
• Lastly, Street Outreach is a program that actively engages with the homeless communities on the streets within Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, and Kalkaska counties. The outreach team connects the homeless population to different resources in their areas such as community meals, emotional support, emergency assistance, intervention, and referrals to support services.

As you can see, we have a lot of resources in this area to help those experiencing homelessness. If you’d like to volunteer and get involved with helping our homeless population, visit gtsafeharbor.org/volunteers/ or .goodwillnmi.org/support-goodwill/general-volunteer-opportunities/ for more information.

From Steve Nance, Oryana General Manager:

Oryana staff, Board, and owners all share a love for our community and an appreciation for the abundance that most of us experience. But we also realize that not all in our community are so fortunate. As part of the Oryana ENDs, we do strive to give back to our community.  During the last weeks of February, Oryana has determined that we will focus on homeless awareness to shine a light on this regional issue and we will provide opportunities to learn about the organizations working in this realm. We will also provide opportunities to assist including a 2% of sales day and a shopper round up at the registers on March 1.   

As always, thanks to all our community for all your support as it does make a difference in improving the quality for our neighbors