By Reghan Thibodeaux
Pulse Staff Reporter
San Antonio may be struggling to combat homelessness in the city, but our very own Palo Alto College helped those in need this year by handing out jackets and socks before the long, cold winter began.
Ronnie Brannon, lead instructor of Logistics and Supply Chain Management at Palo Alto, and his students collected and distributed gently used jackets and new socks.
“We want to be an advocate for the homeless. We go out and give them bags of items, like socks. This year we are doing jackets. It’s supposed to be really cold this winter,” said Brannon.
This year, Brannon and eight students and three members of Edward Morris’ family came out on Saturday morning ready to give out jackets. The Logistics Club collected 220 jackets and handed out 500 bags with two pairs of socks, a t-shirt, some snacks and a list of free resources.
Brannon said his favorite experience was when Jada Perry, the daughter of Edward Morris, gave her shoes to a young pregnant woman lying down on the sidewalk. Handing out bags to a veterans shelter near Haven for Hope was also very touching for Brannon, who is retired military.
Carlos Aguilar, a Business Administration major, at Palo Alto, said, “I think it’s an amazing job what the Logistics Club is doing. Many of those people cannot afford to buy clothing to keep warm, so I consider what they are doing to be heroic.”
Palo Alto is not the only organization helping out the homeless in our city.
Haven for Hope is more than just a center for the homeless. It’s a community and a place to call home for those in need. The campus offers homeless people and families housing, education, counseling and support.
President and CEO Kenny Wilson said, “Often people come here from another city, and they think we’re a shelter. This is a community. This is their home. They can come and go as they please.”
The 2019 survey counted 2,872 people homeless people in San Antonio and Bexar County. Of the total, 1,685 or 59% were in shelters. The remaining 1,187 people were without shelter. Of those, 565 were living in the Courtyard at Haven for Hope, a supervised outdoor sleeping space with access to meals, showers and medical care, and 622 were living on the streets, many in encampments.
At Haven for Hope, anyone can walk into the intake building located at 1 Haven for Hope Way. New arrivals to Haven and the Courtyard are done on a walk-in basis. If it’s after hours and you are an adult with no minors, the Courtyard will provide a temporary, safe sleeping arrangement located at 1300 West Martin Street. An adult with minors in need of shelter can speak to a security officer at the security building located at 1 Haven for Hope Way for temporary emergency services placement.
If anyone has any questions about donating items or helping the Logistics Club next year, contact Brannon at 210-486-3087.
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