Couple tackles homeless problem in community
KALKASKA -- A Northern Michigan couple is starting a non-profit organization to address the homeless problem in their community.
Richard and Nicole Potter have been selling household items out of a storage space to raise money for a homeless shelter they would like to build in Kalkaska. The charity is called Lending Hands of Northern Michigan.
Assistant Director, Nicole Potter says, "We’re out here all day selling stuff, but the community is helping out. People buy things that are just a quarter and end up giving us $5."
The idea for Lending Hands started after the Potter's kept meeting people in their own community who were living in their cars, tents, and surfing from couch to couch - many of them teenagers.
Potter says, "It's hard, I mean considering I’m not much older than them. I have a 4-year old and it’s sad to know there are people on streets that don't have a place to go home to every night and lay their head down like we do."
Nadine Holzbauer, a guidance counselor at Kalkaska High School says the homeless problem inside the district is dramatically increasing.
Holzbauer says, "When a student doesn't have their own bed and own place to call home obviously they aren't going to do well in school because their life is in turmoil."
From elementary to the high school, Holzbauer says it's a problem in every grade. While there are things like meals and free clothing the district offers, she says it is hard to see.
Holzbauer says, "It is very difficult for me when I've thought I've done everything I can and I've used every resource and I still feel I've fallen short. It breaks my heart."
Lending Hands of Northern Michigan has a long way to go before the charity will have enough money to purchase a building. They are trying to raise $30,000.
If you would like to donate to the organization or if you have any questions you can email Richard and Nicole Potter at lendinghandsofnm@live.com.
