On Friday, the Selma Center for Nonviolence, Truth and Reconciliation (CNTR) aimed at tackling homelessness in Selma.

Among those that attended the meeting were leaders including Alabama Rural Coalition for the Homeless (ARCH) Executive Director Felicia Jackson, Selma Municipal Court Judge Major Madison, Selma CNTR Executive Director Ainka Jackson, Dallas County Family Resource Center (DCFRC) Executive Director James Thomas, Gospel Tabernacle Pastor John Grayson and others.

The meeting made progress now that the group knows of the resources available and what some of the common goals are from each entity.

As of January 2018, Alabama had an estimated 3,434 experiencing homelessness on any given day, as reported by Continuums of Care to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Of that total, 280 were family households, 339 were Veterans, 158 were unaccompanied young adults (aged 18-24), and 540 were individuals experiencing chronic homelessness.

This epidemic is impacting the entire state and we must do our part to fix our area.

This meeting was just the first steps. Let us hope that these organizations utilize what is available to get the homeless in our community help.