When I was in high school, members of my youth group had an idea to do a night where we were homeless. It was in October, so it was a little chilly, and you came to the church with just the clothes on your back. You slept outside. And in the morning, you left with a greater appreciation of your cushy life.
I never participated in this, but I heard from many, many friends that it was intense and that once it was over, they were relieved to go home.
Imagine not having a home to go to, and having to live day after day on the streets.
In Baton Rouge, the One Stop Services Center has been created to help the homeless. The center offers medical and dental care, mental health facilities, showers, laundry services, computers, as well as various other things. It also offers affordable single person housing.
Randy Nichols helped spearhead the One Stop Services Center, and he showed me around the facility in September. We were all amazed with it, and since then, the center has opened its doors to help the homeless population in our city.
Randy Nichols, executive director of the Capital Area Alliance for the Homeless, stands outside of the One Stop Services Center on Thursday, September 15, 2011. The One Stop Services Center has full medical and dental clinics for homeless people, as well as offers 36 single person units. (Photo by Erin Parker / 225)
To read more about homelessness in Baton Rouge, check out the 225 article, written by LSU journalism students, here.
To learn more about the One Stop Services Center and what you can do to help, click here.
