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'There's no place like home': Coastal Bend nonprofit strives to help those impacted by homelessness

Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales said an individual's circumstances can change in an instant, and that no one is immune to the side effects of life.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The holiday season and cooler weather means more time spent inside with loved ones, but for some, homelessness prevents them from having that sense of security. 

While many have the means to travel home for the holidays, some do not have that special place to call home. 

Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales said that housing is an issue that impacts many across the Coastal Bend. 

"Housing in general is one of our fundamental problems here," Canales said. "Whether you want to probably think about it or not, how blessed we are if you have a roof over your head."

While homelessness is not an easy thing to quantify, it can easily be identified because the issue stretches beyond just one income bracket. 

Sasha Christensen is the Executive Director of the Habitat for Humanity and understands the impact homelessness can have on the community. 

"The options overall for those who are in a fixed income or low income situation, and now even moving into the middle class families, those opportunities are few and far between," Christensen said. "It's becoming more difficult for them to maintain the cost of living and providing shelter."

The number of those who need help speaks to just how much it's needed throughout the community. Christensen adds that even with lingering side effects caused by the pandemic, her organization still strives to make an impact where it matters. 

"This last year, we were able to help approximately 682 families," Christensen said, "which was a drastic increase from the year prior, where we were only able to help about 38. Even through the pandemic, we have been making a huge amount of progress."

Even though homelessness is an unfortunate situation, Canales realizes that funding plays a large role in the fight against homelessness.

"It's a lack of investment," Canales said, "really statewide, that's resulted in overcrowding of jails and loss of life to the addictions and the behavioral health diagnoses that need to be treated for the rest of your life. You don't just turn it off and on like a water faucet. You have to work on it forever."

Canales added that an individual's circumstances can change in an instant, and that no one is immune to the side effects of life.

"There are people that don't believe that you can be perfectly great one year and homeless the next," Canales said. "They haven't learned to hear enough stories on the streets, because it can happen."

Habitat for Humanity plans to have four additional homes finished for families this time next year. Between completing homes and acquiring funding, officials believe significant progress is being made to give residents a place to call home.  

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