Homeless In Yakima Getting Help To Change Lives

Could Yakima soon end the need for cold weather shelters for the homeless? The Executive Director of the Yakima Valley Conference of Governments says within the next 30 days more than 30 homeless people will be able to move into rental housing funded by state and federal grant dollars. Larry Matson tells KIT News "We need a long term solution that gets the churches out of the business of providing cold weather shelters and really addresses the problem in the long term."
He says the conference of governments is working with local providers like Yakima Neighborhood health to provide the rental housing, job training and transportation to help people out of their current situation and improve lives. Matson also says they'll fund a refurbishment of the Roys Market on South 6th Street to turn it into a place where homeless can use the bathroom take showers and wash clothes. Funding for that work must first however be approved by the Yakima City Council before that happens.