POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI)– Valley Mission, a Pocatello-area nonprofit organization that provides resources for the homeless, is dealing with unique challenges in its work to serve the area’s growing population of people living on the streets.
Karl Pettit, director of Valley Mission, said Pocatello’s homeless population remains relatively out of sight when compared to larger cities, and it’s making outreach efforts difficult.
“The challenge we have is Pocatello’s homeless population is what we call concealed,” said Pettit. “We have a large number of people on the streets, in the cars, in the parks, but because of our surrounding parks, campgrounds and such, they’re hidden.”
Pettit and his team do regular deliveries of food and other necessities to known homeless encampments in the Pocatello and Chubbuck areas. Valley Mission also organizes events for their ‘Reach Access Mobile Partnership’ (RAMP) program to bring medical treatment and other services to public places for homeless people in the community.
But Pettit said information collected in collaboration with the Pocatello Police Department indicates the area’s homeless population is expected to grow as more people move from the streets of other states looking for help in Idaho.
In preparation for the influx of people in need, Valley Mission is expanding their services with a brand new shelter located in the old Metropolitan Health Spa building.
“Once it’s completely open, that is going to really be a game changer,” said Pettit. “We believe in this community for a lot of folks; so, again, just helping us reach that goal would be the best thing we can do today.”
Valley Mission is accepting financial donations to help them complete their new shelter space. Pettit said they are also looking for donations of socks, sunscreen, and non-perishable food items to distribute to people through the summer.
Donations for Valley Mission can be dropped off at the First Baptist Church at 408 N Arthur Ave in Pocatello. For more information, you can visit the Valley Mission website.
