By the time you are reading this, the annual Point In Time (PIT) Count of unsheltered people will have taken place for this year. The PIT Count is literally that, a count of people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January. In Anoka County the number of unhoused persons is expected to rise compared to the tally in January of last year. Not only will there likely be more, but they will be increasingly women, children, and senior citizens. These are national trends, not just here in Minnesota. 

You may ask, “What can I do about it?” or “Isn’t there a solution to this seemingly unending problem?” 

Yes, there is something you can do. Many readers have already done something, and we ask you to do it again. 

Please make a charitable contribution to Stepping Stone Emergency Housing today. 

Your investment in our work is ending homelessness one person at a time. Last year at least seventy people moved out of our emergency shelter and into stable housing. That’s just under six people each month on average. That also means that each month, on average, about six new people can enter our program and begin their own journey to a home of their own. 

As the PIT Count will surely reveal, there are more people experiencing homelessness in Anoka County than our facility can take in. But your generosity will ensure that on any given night, especially one of the cold nights in January, as many as sixty-six residents (our maximum capacity) will have a safe, secure, dignified place to stay. They will be partnered with a dedicated professional case worker to identify their individual barriers to stable housing. They will create a plan to overcome those barriers, and along with Stepping Stone staff, make progress toward independence, stability, and the immense feelings of accomplishment associated with having a real home. 

You can do something. Right now. You can join so many other forward-thinking benefactors and give to Stepping Stone as we work together to end homelessness. 

Please consider an outright gift (your online contribution via our website is safe, secure, and efficient) or a gift of appreciated securities (stock transfer instructions are available upon request). You could name Stepping Stone as the irrevocable owner and beneficiary of a life insurance policy. There are many ways you can contribute.  

It’s a New Year. Isn’t it also time for a New Gift?