Community reaches out to help homeless

On a recent Community Outreach Day, approximately 20 vendors offering everything from medical to housing and employment assistance came together to highlight the resources they provide year-round.

The event was hosted by the Butler County Community Resource Council and Butler County Coalition to End Homelessness.

At the CRC, services include support for young parents and children in foster care.

“We provide our parenting classes; we have a young parent mentoring program,” CRC Executive Director Rebeca Pacheco said. “We have a CASA program for kids in foster care.”

Caption Call, a federally funded program for internet protocol captioned telephone service helps those with hearing loss and who meet an eligibility standard. They may contact CaptionCall.com or 877-557-2227.

Tammy Harper with the Poplar Bluff Housing Authority has applications and brochures about programs and services by calling 573-785-8265.

“We also have employment applications if anybody is interested in applying,” Harper said.

A Missouri Highlands Health Care at the Coppertop on PP Highway offers programs on a sliding fee scale in several locations. The local phone number is 573-778-3042.

Delta Care Coordination Program accepts people with a chronic condition, such as heart diseases, arthritis, diabetes, asthma, COPD, anxiety, depression, who are low income and have no health insurance or under insured.

Missouri Highlands Health Care dental help is the Poplar Bluff Community Dental Clinic, 1407 N. Westwood Blvd.

Highlands partners with Show Me Healthy Women to offer affordable cancer screening to patients.

Screenings include clinic breast exams, mammograms for women aged 50-64, mammograms for women 40-49 using alternate funds, if available, pap tests and pelvic exams. For more information, call 573-244-5406 or visit 222.mohigh.org.

John J. Pershing VA Medical Center nurse Ashley Aubuchon, health promotion/disease prevention manager, said veterans may go to primary care at the hospital or one of the outpatient clinics, tell them “‘I want to get my free flu shot today.’ It shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes.”

Clarissa Young, a HUD Vash case manager for the Poplar Bluff VA, also works with a VA clothing closet.

“We have a garage, and it houses tons of donations we get from the public and different resources,” Young said. “There’s all sorts of abundance of clothing, household items, things like that, and others we can provide (to veterans).”

Butler County Health Department prevention specialist David Bruce said, the department can provide information “about prevention, about STDs, HIV, hepatitis, that kind of thing.

“Anyone can walk in and ask for condoms. They keep little pre-made packages of them. We can even mail them if they’ll call.”

Some services at the health department are by appointment. If a woman wants to come to a women’s clinic for an exam for contraception that needs a prescription, she has to make an appointment.

Missouri Delta Hospice helps patients and the family at the end of life. Anyone may call the hospice office.

“We provide a holistic approach to care with the patient,” Natalie Roby said. “We help with symptoms, but we also have a social worker, a chaplain and an aide. We try to come along with the patient and family and do whatever we can to make it an easier time.”

Tammy Blanton with the Family Counseling Center works with the homeless. Anyone may call her at 573-686-1200.

FCC Behavioral Health has a federally funded Crisis Counseling program for those affected by COVID-19 to help with coping and resilience, disaster preparedness and response education as well as referral to community resources. The Helpline is 800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746.

Goodwill workers help individuals with barriers or disabilities find employment. The barrier or disability could be learning, mental, physical, just any type of disability or barrier to employment. Workers follow them for 90 days, once they find employment, and help them focus on their strengths and abilities.

They may contact the local office at 573-686-6004 or MERS/Goodwill Career Center. The workers help with referrals through vocational rehabilitation, resumes and interviewing skills.

Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri offers a variety of services ranging from homelessness prevention, support for veterans and their families, crisis maternity services, the developmentally disable, disaster response and long term care. Local case manager Carrie Hall’s office number is 573-323-4044.