Dover church optimistic about the city’s commission to address homelessness

Sunday morning, members of Victory Church made sandwiches and packed lunches and headed to the streets of Dover to hand them out to homeless throughout the city.  

" We hit the library,  hit the bus stop," says Pastor Aaron Appling from Victory Church.

Pastor Aaron tells us they've been feeding homeless people in the area two meals daily  for the past year. He tell us with the help of food donations and money from the church they've been able to feed about 60 people each day.

"They've really become a part of our family, we know their names, their stories," says Pastor Aaron.

Pastor Aaron tells us this is one of church's ways of addressing the problem of homelessness in Dover.
He tells 47 ABC he was optimistic when he heard the city create a blue ribbon commission to address the very issue. Pastor Aaron says he hopes the commission would consider creating a permanent homeless shelter.

"I think it definitely be more effective if they just took a warehouse or took a building downtown. Renovated it. Spent the money upfront and have a permanent shelter," says Pastor Aaron.

Pastor Aaron believes this would alleviate some of the work Code Purple does during the winter time, but also provide options during all kinds of severe weather.

"Not just when it's freezing. You know when it's raining, when it's storming, anytime there is drastic weather conditions we should be able to bring the guys off the street," says Pastor Aaron.

He also adds that he would like the commission to discuss creating more resources. According to him,  shelters are the first options for the homeless population. He says more resources such as job and career readiness programs would help tot folks get back on their feet.