Frankfort leaders aim to better serve growing homeless community

Frankfort community leaders came together Thursday night at city hall to share ideas about how to better serve the area's growing homeless population.

Officials from multiple Frankfort shelters described increased demand for their services.

Workers at the Franklin County Women and Family Shelter said they took about 50 percent more calls asking for help this year over last year.

The facility has just 13 beds for single women, with the capacity to house one family as well in separate quarters.

Samuella Daum, executive director of the Sunshine Center, a family abuse prevention and protection agency in Frankfort, said the main problem facing the city's network of shelters is how to help people seeking emergency shelter after hours and on weekends.

"For women and children specifically, we don't have an emergency place for them to go, should they call at 6:00 in the evening or 2:00 in the morning or on a Sunday afternoon, so we have to have a place to put them besides a hotel," Daum said.

Daum said the hope right now is to come up with at least a temporary solution before winter arrives.

Franklin County residents are encouraged to bring their ideas for helping the homeless to the next community meeting, tentatively scheduled for 5:00 p.m., Oct. 11 at the public library.