The number of homeless people in Wyoming is far less than those in more populated states, such as Colorado, but there are often fewer providers that cater to this population throughout the state.
The Wyoming Rescue Mission (WRM) in Casper, is the state’s largest homeless shelter. There are about 120 residents from all of the state this month. Caring for homeless populations that come from outside of the area has drawn some negative feelings from some in the community, said Brad Hopkins, Executive Director of the WRM.
But there are few options throughout the state. Casper’s central location and the services it offers are draws for those who are seeking them out.
“Those small communities, they just historically have never had [the services for the homeless] but for maybe the goodwill of individuals taking people in or you know, church, paying for motel vouchers, that type of thing,” he said. “There just aren't options to run this type of homeless outreach that we run. It takes a tremendous amount of dedication.”
WRM recently opened their Discipleship Recovery Center to help those who may otherwise not get the treatment they need. They also partner with over 60 organizations and agencies in Natrona County and throughout the state to provide services in local communities. These include the Wyoming Hunger Initiative, started by First Lady Jennie Gordon and the Wyoming Homeless Collaborative.
“From what we've seen, in our experience, homelessness is really a function of losing healthy, supportive relationships,” said Brad Hopkins, Executive Director of the WRM. “While money helps, buildings help, at the end of the day, we are relational social creatures that need healthy supportive relationships. We're trying to help them to discover and see what their passions are, their gifts. There's not a one size fits all. There's not a silver bullet. It takes a lot of work, a lot of dedication.”
Mental health and addiction issues are also factors that contribute to a higher likeliness that someone will experience homelessness. Hopkins said the WRM is open 24/7/365 and is staffed at all hours of the day and night to care for those who need food, shelter, job training, or addiction treatment. And despite their willingness to help, finding and retaining staff also poses problems. According to Hopkins, there’s been a loss of 600,000 social service workers nationally.
He added that the effects of the pandemic have increased the number of homeless that they care for, though not to the extent previously thought with the impacts of the pandemic.
There are anywhere from 600 to 700 homeless statewide on any given day, he adds. But this doesn’t include those who may technically have shelter but who don’t have viable long-term housing options.
“Based on our experience we’ve seen a return to pre, early pandemic numbers,” Hopkins said. “We have a 17 percent increase right now, but this represents where we were 18 to 24 months ago. Part of this includes more people who are not homeless eating a prepared meal with us.”
