City donates supplies for homeless initiative

Departments give backpacks, blankets for county homeless population

Simpsonville, S.C. — The City of Simpsonville donated on Friday supplies to the United Way for an initiative to help people in Greenville County who are homeless.

All City departments and City Hall each donated a backpack filled with blankets and bottled water to the MLK Service Drive by the United Way of Greenville County. The United Way, which is collecting backpacks from numerous organizations and individuals, will distribute the supplies to the homeless population throughout the county on Jan. 27.

Simpsonville Community Relations Specialist Justin Campbell said participation in projects like the MLK Service Drive fits perfectly into the City's mission.

"The urgent issue of homelessness is not confined to one city or area in Greenville County, but even if homelessness did not exist in Simpsonville, City leadership believes in helping people no matter where they live and no matter their housing situation," Campbell said. "Backpacks, blankets and bottled water are items we take for granted every day. While providing affordable housing is the best way to end homelessness, the MLK Service Drive and similar projects can alleviate some of the suffering people without shelter experience daily until such projects are no longer needed."

Simpsonville Community Relations Specialist Justin Campbell dropped off 5 backpacks filled with blankets and bottled water at the United Way of Greenville County on Jan. 22 for the MLK Service Drive. United Way held the drive to distribute the supplies to the Greenville County homeless population on Jan. 27.

The United Way of Greenville County held the MLK Service Drive at its headquarters in Greenville ahead of the Point-in-Time count, which is an annual count of sheltered and unsheltered people who are homeless on a single night in January. Required by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development, the PIT count informs planning and policy-making toward the goal of ending homelessness in the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

Ann-Lawrence Ellerbe, the United Way Relationship Manager for Simpsonville, said in an email that United Way of Greenville County hosts the MLK Service Drive to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy and "support an urgent and important need" in the county.

"This is an important time to connect with the homeless and unsheltered population in our community," Ellerbe said. "The actual count itself also helps identify what services are needed to support the individuals experiencing homelessness."

Volunteers will hand out the backpacks to people who are homeless during the count on Wednesday. The City of Simpsonville donated a total of five backpacks each filled with bottled water and blankets.