To the editor:

I am glad Elton Wong and his friend were raising awareness and funds for a homeless shelter by camping in front of Parks Library to support a shelter in Minneapolis.

Ames has a homeless shelter, the Emergency Residence Project (one of the very few in the entire Northwest quadrant of Iowa).

The Ames shelter is a nonprofit organization whose mission, according to their brochure, is to offer shelter and assistance to the homeless and to those facing homelessness. ERP seeks to understand the needs of the individual or family and respect their human dignity.

It is also their goal to involve the community in the provision of services to the homeless and in the provision of opportunities to avoid and escape homelessness.

From 1985-1997, the shelter provided more than 43,000 nights of shelter and more than 68,000 meals. About one third of those who used the shelter were Story County residents, and the remainder were hoping to relocate here or were passing through town.

The shelter also assists families to avoid eviction and/or to get into new housing; those families were almost exclusively Story County residents.

Before the 1999 ISU Homecoming Blitz Build at the shelter, ERP could house 25 to 30 people per night at its facilities. It also rents motel space because there isn’t always enough room at the shelter. Thanks in large part to the support and work from ISU students, staff and faculty, ERP has increased the number of units it has available as transitional housing for families.

There has not been a photo of that wonderful 4-unit apartment building in the Daily, but you can go by and see what you built at 219 S. Kellogg. It is full and has a waiting list.

If you would like to support our local homeless shelter, you can volunteer by preparing meals. You can donate food, soap, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes and other supplies, or money.

About one half of the shelter’s budget comes through donations from individuals, religious organizations and the United Way. To volunteer or find out more about ERP, call the shelter at 232-8075.

As ERP’s brochure says “homelessness should be considered the ‘tip of the iceberg’ a symptom of a much larger housing crisis in our community and throughout our nation.”

Anjeanette Perkins

Ames resident

First Christian Churches

representative to the ERP Board