[MUSIC] [MUSIC] >> this is a a really bright time of year for so many of us.

and we look forward to it all year.

but for a lot of folks produces a lot of anxiety about really basic really basic needs.

i just want to start with having each of you talk about what kind of landscape with that we're looking at here in detroit with regard to homelessness and the disadvantaged this time of year and the kind of challenges that they are likely to to encounter.

linda, i'll start with you.

>> well, first, even i want to say thank you for bringing light to this matter right now because you're absolutely right.

and with the pandemic, we thought we saw a lot of heads of households that were affected by covid nineteen, who are no longer with us.

and so what we've seen that in itself is a lot of those families are really struggling.

i want to make ends meet in and meet those basic needs for their family.

we're seeing a tremendous increase in homelessness of women and children.

i've had some conversations with city and of the city and other providers in our community about what we can do right now.

we at it and so can do right now.

and we are starting a housing first fund.

thanks to united health care, huntington bank and a meridian health plan were able to put some dollars and a call for all those calls that we get to help people stay in their homes.

that may venture moratorium is now lifted and people just are able to pay that back run.

so we want to keep people housed.

they're in this cold season.

you know, we offer full continuum home with the missions.

but let's first the people crowds this try to keep people in their current home.

>> yeah, that's housing first program is going to chair.

want to hear from you as well about do what you feel like we're confronting a in this community and and what it looks like.

>> well, fortunately, unfortunately, this time of the year has not been what we expected a mean.

we have been working diligently with a lot of other organization in the city to make sure that the homeless individuals numbers will be less.

but unfortunately, right now is way higher is linda.

it was talking, especially for women and children and also for the man as well.

the number is not decreasing it all a matter of fact, the latest report showed that there was about a twenty over seven percent increase over the last year of homelessness.

and those are due to too many, many factors live that shed light on the covid nineteen impact but also the economy.

i don't the inflation is a big part of it.

we see also there's a lot i'm not able to get food on their tables, the increase for a requesting the foods of putting security becoming a very big issues.

the and and right now we are in discussion that we would have to open the mother six hundred bed for the city of detroit as we speak right now.

there's a lot of talks about how can we come up with six hundred bats, which we are already working the most are men, biden probably about four hundred so far.

i know a nurse was going to be working in a lot of other organization gathering together.

the good things about detroit, that we have a good organizations and good people with good heart that they will do what needs to be done.

but the fact of the main we have in issue of homelessness and it's growing, it's not going down and we can't use substance abuse issues of mental health.

that created a big impact affecting the number of homelessness.

so i wish today i would have been able to say the numbers are going down.

i believe the numbers are not going down in need and to do way more work.

and the bottom line, we need more housing, which is there's not enough stock in detroit anyway.

and this is a major thing that we would have to work on.

where do we take the people off the shelters?

and we're learning senator asked that we bring them in and how are we going to work with them so they can.

>> back on their feet.

so they will also homelessness.

i want to have each of you talk a little about what people can do to help this population during the holidays.

and i'll start with you this time.

what should people be thinking about?

>> but first of all, if you're homeless, if your summer suffering any type of housing instability right now, it's cold outside.

get ahead of it.

call are coordinated assessment model.

the camp is also now three, one, three, three, zero, five, zero, three, one one.

and let them know.

see what you get, what you're eligible for.

if you're in an assault client, give us a call at our a three, sixty well number and we can help try to keep you in your housing.

but if you are concerned citizen of detroit, which i know we have so many citizens who care about all our entire community donate donate to organizations like detroit rescue mission like an s o so that we can help people collectively and have collected impact.

it's great to help people on the street.

you know, i have a lot of friends to get, you know, goodie bags and in and clothes socks to people on the street.

that's fantastic.

but we have to donate to organizations like and it's detroit rescue mission so that we can at collective impact and you could do that by going to our website at www dot and asked my daughter.

>> yeah, yeah.

but chad, what what do you recommend for people?

>> you know, the first thing people want to be look at.

sometimes they get confused with people between people who are homeless and people who are panhandling.

yeah.

it gives the perception the panhandler give the perception of homelessness, but they're not really homeless people out of homeless people who are like me and like everyone else said, they're not a second class citizen.

they're good human being, but they're just going through some hard times and they come to organizations like in a sort of the are meant to get help.

and therefore, we encourage people instead of help and persons to stay on the street to help the organization taken off the street and find a solution to their situations that they can put them into a not no longer way but to be in a peaceful situation.

so i urge people to understand that homelessness is not the panhandling situation and to support organizations like innocent, like the ar and then and they can do so.

and then if they see anybody on this and they really need how they can always call kamala, they can call the fbi would numbers at the one, two, three, nine, nine, three, four, seven, zero, zero and the for help.

they can always go to our website and the r and about organ and we will be very thankful like we always been to the generosity of the tweet.