Homelessness and cold weather housing solutions topic of next SAW Housing lunch and learn

Patrick Hite, Staunton News Leader
Central United Methodist pastor Won Un at the Staunton Area Church Relief Association (SACRA) office dropping off some supplies.
Central United Methodist pastor Won Un at the Staunton Area Church Relief Association (SACRA) office dropping off some supplies.

STAUNTON —The sixth SAW Housing Summit Partners Lunch & Learn is scheduled for Friday, April 26, at the Central United Methodist Church at 14 N. Lewis St.

Hunter McMillon, cold weather shelter manager for Waynesboro Area Refuge Ministries (WARM), will talk about homelessness and cold weather housing solutions. The lunch conversation will be from noon until 1 p.m.

Participation in this brown bag lunch series is free.

“I hope people leave with more of an open mind on how homelessness affects folks, how people enter (homelessness), and how it impacts their daily lives,” McMillon said. “I’d say anyone who is interested in learning how they can beneficially impact our community should come out.”

The Lunch & Learn series is an extension of the SAW Housing Summit, which was held in October.

The two-day event was a collaborative effort of Augusta Health, Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge, Valley Community Services Board, the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission and the Valley Homeless Connection.

Knowing that a two-day summit couldn’t exhaust all of the topics around housing insecurity in our community, the Lunch & Learn series serves as a way to continue those community conversations.

Dan Layman, CEO of the Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge, feels that thermal shelters are a necessary part of the conversation.

“Without fanfare or desire for accolades, Waynesboro Area Refuge Ministries works tirelessly each year to coordinate and manage a low-barrier shelter during the winter months,” Layman said. “It's important for everyone to know why this is needed in our community, who it serves, and how it is done.”

Past Lunch & Learn topics have included renter’s rights, Housing First as a methodology, property managers, accessible housing and permanent supportive housing.

Rev. Won Un, pastor at Central United Methodist Church, is eager to host such an important conversation. Un has played an active role in helping community members access cold weather shelters.

"One of the core teachings of Jesus is liberating and freeing people from socio-economical oppression and inequality,” Un said. “In the Book of Matthew, he praised those who fed, welcomed, clothed, quenched, cared for, and visited the least, the lost, and the last.

“As pastor I have an obligation and a responsibility to share these commandments with others. And as a church, she should be the first place to work to meet those basic human necessities. Staunton Augusta Waynesboro (SAW) Housing Consortium Steering team is working diligently to address the housing issues in our area and I am proud to be part of this team."

  • WHO: Presented by SAW Housing Coalition, For the Community

  • WHAT: Lunch & Learn: On Thermal Shelters

  • WHERE: Central United Methodist Church

  • WHEN: Noon – 1 p.m. Friday, April 26

  • MORE INFO: https://sawhousing.com. Pack a Lunch. Drinks provided.

  • COST: Free

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— Patrick Hite is The News Leader's education reporter. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Contact Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and follow him on Twitter @Patrick_Hite. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: SAW Housing lunch and learn planned for Friday in Staunton

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