Daily Herald editorial

Like its cousins, hunger and poverty, homelessness is a tough issue for communities to address. Often seen as a big-city problem, the challenges of helping people who are temporarily or permanently homeless often escape attention in smaller cities where the prevailing belief is that, “We don’t have that problem here.” The truth, of course, is just the opposite; in Austin, as elsewhere, there are people who have no place to stay.

In Austin, the Salvation Army is taking the lead in addressing the issue, developing plans for a shelter that can provide more than the current three-nights-in-a-hotel system that may match available resources, but which falls woefully short of the reality that most people who are homeless need longer than three days to overcome one of life’s most challenging situations.

As with hunger, another problem that Austin needs to confront, homelessness is a woe that need not persist. Our community has the resources to help people get back on their feet, especially if many organizations choose to join the effort. While the Salvation Army has laid out a plan, there is no reason it should go it alone; there is room, certainly, for any number of churches and caring organizations to play a role.

For those who have not been there, or who have chosen not to admit there is a problem, it is easy to ignore the issue of homelessness. The same can be said of hunger. They are often silent problems, easy to look away from. We’re glad the Salvation Army is putting the spotlight on the issue, and look forward to seeing positive results.