The conversation about our homeless population here in Sioux Falls continues. Some of it positive, some of it, not. A number of issues that have arisen in dealing with our homeless citizens and the neighborhoods where they spend their days and nights.

I am a person who, due to one life situation or another, has always lived paycheck-to-paycheck. My greatest fear is homelessness and always has been. My family never owned a home when I was a child, I don’t own one now and I don't believe it is in the stars for me in this lifetime. I always have in the back of my mind that many of us are only one paycheck away from being where the homeless are. Or as the old saying goes, "There but for the grace of God, go I".

The causes of homelessness are many but the top three include: poverty, lack of affordable housing and unemployment. Many of the homeless population are mentally ill, thanks to the idiotic dismantling of the mental health system in our country starting in the 1960s. Many are fleeing domestic abuse or are going through home foreclosure or rental eviction. And many didn’t make it to that next paycheck.

All of this aside, let’s say you would like to help, in a way that impacts your wallet minimally, but could make all the difference to a family struggling with this issue. The Heartland House Give From the Heart Dinner, Dessert Auction and Fundraiser could be just the thing! Individual tickets are only $40 and you can buy them here. Table sponsorships are also available.

The event is in the lovely Hilton Garden Inn Revir Ballroom in downtown Sioux Falls on 8th Street (just west of 8th & Railroad) on Thursday, April 7, 2016. Social hour and the silent dessert auction starts at 5:30, then the dinner and program at 6:30.

The Heartland House is a transitional housing program for families with children which addresses educational, financial, and medical issues, among others, with the goal of moving these families to self-sufficiency. At the fundraiser you’ll learn of many amazing success stories.

For more information call (605) 334-2808 ext.354, check out their Facebook page (they are part of the Inter-Lakes Community Action Partnership) or to see a list of Heartland House needed items click here.

 

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