A conversation on the unhoused will take place Thursday, September 12 at the Robert H. Jackson Center.
The YWCA Jamestown and Jamestown Justice Coalition are co-sponsoring the event that will take place from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
JJC Coordinator Justin Hubbard said it will feature a series of panel discussions, “The first panel is going to be for service providers. And, we’re going to have representatives from COI (Chautauqua Opportunities, Inc.), we’ll have Steven Cobb there who has experience at the Mental Health Association, Dodi McIntyre who is the pastor at Joy Fellowship, and a couple other people who deal with this topic in their day-to-day, in their careers.”
Hubbard said the second panel will include people with lived experience with being unhoused. He said Bonnie Weber, who was recently recognized by the YWCA with an Women of Achievement Impact Award, also will be part of that panel. Weber has worked to provide essential resources such as tents, clothing, food, and supplies to individuals living without stable housing, connecting these individuals with social services and rehabilitation programs when necessary.
Hubbard said the third part of the event will be an opportunity for people in attendance to share possible solutions or next steps.
He said following the City of Jamestown‘s state of emergency declaration in regards to homelessness, he had a number of conversations where people wanted to do something but weren’t sure what to or what caused people to become unhoused, “Not only in a direct personal level for the people that are living through this experience, but also at a more systemic level when we’re talking about the organizations, and government institutions, and non-profits. We’re talking about layers and layers and layers. That not only talk about city government and county government, but state and federal.”
Hubbard said he hoped the two panel discussions will provide information on what the actual issues are and where people can focus their energy.
While the event is free and open to the public, pre-registration is required at https://www.ywcajamestown.com/event-details/community-conversation-about-the-unhoused
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