FARMINGTON — Homelessness in Western Maine exists and it affects both the young and elderly.

Data and phone calls for help show that a local partnership of groups is helping individuals in need, Lisa Laflin, executive director of the United Way of the Tri-Valley Area.

During United Way presentations, when homelessness is mentioned, Laflin often hears it doesn’t exist here because it isn’t seen.

Over the last two years in Oxford and Franklin counties, 900-individuals were identified as homeless. Many of these have families enlarging the number of people affected, she said.

During November, which is National Homelessness Month, the Houses for Change program seeks to engage youth to learn about homelessness and raise funds to help deal with it.

The local United Way has 500 plain cardboard boxes that classes of students, Scouts or other youth groups can decorate and distribute throughout Franklin and northern Androscoggin counties. In December, the groups collect the money for programs supported by the United Way that address homelessness in the region, Laflin said in a release. The groups decide where the boxes are located and take care of collections.

Along with the boxes to decorate is an age-appropriate curriculum to open a discussion on the need. The curriculum highlights the fact that there are “some that have and many that have not,” she said. It starts a conversation of how people can work together to address the need.

The Houses for Change project is a national program under the auspices of Family Promise, a national nonprofit devoted to providing shelter, meals and assistance for the homeless.

It started when Volk Packaging Corp. of Scarborough in connection with Family Promise, contacted the York United Way, which in turn engaged other United Ways throughout the state.

The United Way and the Greater Franklin County Homeless Coalition have joined Family Promise and Volk Packaging to bring the project to western Maine.

According to Maine State Housing Authority estimates, homelessness affects more than 8,000 people in Maine. In two years, 900-individuals or more than 400 families in Oxford and Franklin counties were helped by Crystal Gage, Greater Franklin County Homeless Coalition chair, through grant funding supporting prevention efforts in these two counties. The funding has ended. Gage continues her work as a volunteer chair.

The United Way of the Tri-Valley Area averages 10 calls per month for emergency housing needs. New Beginnings provides temporary shelter and assistance to an average of 45 youth (ages 14 to 20) per year in Franklin County, Livermore and Livermore Falls, according to statistics just released, she said. With United Way funding, the age limit has increased up to 24-year-olds because of the requests, she said.

The Franklin County Homeless Coalition, a program of Western Maine Community Action, attempts to financially help individuals who can document stability to some degree, she said.

“This is a hand-up, not a hand-out. It’s an investment in people,” Laflin said of the three-day emergency housing allocation.

“If they’re not able to determine their next step after three days, we find other support for them,” she added, an effort to not exhaust limited funding.

“We’re entering into cold weather, there’s more in need of shelter. We’re collaboratively working on what to do with individuals and families when they call,” she said of the efforts undertaken by the United Way, local churches, Safe Voices, Sexual Assault Emergency Services, New Beginnings and WMCA.

Boxes and the curriculum are available by contacting the United Way at 778-5048, [email protected] or Crystal Gage at [email protected]

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