Utah County's Food & Care Coalition's mission is to alleviate hunger and diminish the plights of poverty for those in need.

"Poverty is very real and very devastating to those that experience it," said Brent Crane, executive director of the Food & Care Coalition. "Utah County has been woefully behind in providing services for those in need. We hope to do our part to change that by providing the community with this new facility."

With more than 500 homeless individuals in Utah County on any given night, transitional housing is desperately needed to assist these individuals in becoming self-sufficient and productive members of society.

"It is inhumane how they are having to survive," Crane said.

People often don't empathize with the things homeless individuals face each and every day, he said.

"Most of us don't appreciate the fact that we have a medicine cabinet to turn to when we are feeling sick," he said. "We often take advantage of a comfortable bed we have to go home to, away from the elements. We have a place to clean up and get ready for the day, a place of safety and refuge where we can leave our things and family behind without worrying they may not be there when we get back."

In an effort to alleviate these challenges, the Food & Care Coalition is working toward building a transitional housing facility in Provo.

The facility, which will be located at 900 South and 300 East, will be completed by the beginning of 2009 if all goes according to plan.

"This facility symbolically embodies a huge leap forward in services provided for our community," Crane said.

The building, sitting on 4.75 acres of land and encompassing 36,000 square feet, will offer services for day clients as well as transitional housing for residential stay clients.

There are 26 dorm style units with communal bathrooms and showers, a common area and computer resource lab set up for men on the lower level. The women's side will include 11 units with private bathroom facilities, along with a common area and resource lab.

The site will be landscaped and cared for by clients staying in the facility. The coalition's meal program and current clients will use vegetables grown in gardens on the grounds. A recreational area will provide a walking track and lawn area for events and activities.

Due to the various needs of each homeless individual, many different services will be provided. In order to provide these services, several other foundations and community volunteers have offered to help.

"A lot of people have stepped forward to make this happen," Crane said.

A full service dental clinic sponsored by the Share A Smile Foundation and the Food & Care Coalition will be located on site, providing services ranging from root canals to extraction and fillings, to crowns and dentures. Clients will receive services from local practicing dentists and students enrolled in UVSC and BYU's pre-dental and dental hygiene schools.

One of the key components of this facility is teaching homeless individuals how to give back to the community. In exchange for services rendered in their behalf, clients will be asked to provide community service hours in lieu of any cash payments.

"We are trying to teach them that if you put work into something it is going to last," said Nancy Mickiewicz, storehouse director of the Food & Care Coalition. "If you work for something you are going to appreciate it more."

Many homeless clientele suffer from mental illness. Because of this, they are unable to hold a job or pay for any kind of psychological help. Wasatch Mental Health has agreed to place support staff on site to address the mental wellness needs of both residential and day-use clients.

In order to educate and encourage clients to become self-sufficient, literacy and ESL workshops and clinics will be offered. Community groups such as AA meetings, support groups and other worthy educational uses will be provided.

"Any education learned at this facility whether it is etiquette, reading a science book or learning how to balance a checking account will be a great benefit to our clients," Mickiewicz said.

The facility will be adorned with signature pieces of art from such artists as Gary Price, Liz Lemon Swindle and Greg Olson portraying scenes from Christ's life. Inspirational quotes will also be displayed throughout the facility to help lift and inspire clients.

"We want people to walk into our building and feel like they have walked into an uplifting setting," Crane said. "We want people to feel the spirit of this important work."

Much work and preparation has gone into the planning and organizing of this facility. During the past five years, coalition administrators have traveled to more than 20 different transitional housing sites around the country to investigate, learn and interview homeless people, facility managers and city officials. The practical results of this research have influenced the facility design, program implementation and systematic approach in addressing the needs of homeless individuals.

This facility is an $11.2 million project and will require the assistance of community members to help make it happen. Government grants provide 7 percent of the funding while the remaining 93 percent comes from private sources. Currently, $6.2 million has been raised, leaving $5 million to be collected.

"Fundraising is an ongoing thing," Crane said. "It's about getting the word out and letting people know what we are doing and how significant this will be in offering homeless a real chance at breaking the vicious poverty cycle."

The Food and Care Coalition officials hope to get the needed amount before the groundbreaking next spring. Donations can be made by contacting the Food and Care Coalition at 801-373-1825 or by visiting the Web site at www.foodandcare.org.

Copyright Brigham Young University 6 Dec 2007