By Cynthia Grau/WJEZ News

The Livingston County Homeless Coalition is looking to start a dialogue with residents in the county when it comes to homelessness in the local communities.

Member Linda Voorheis describes what it’s like to see the homeless population increase over the years at her job at the Salvation Army.

“I see it firsthand. It has just amazed me how the numbers have jumped. I’ve been there almost nine years and I would say the numbers have quadrupled. When I first started working there, I saw an occasional homeless person, and now I would say I have a couple of them each month,” Voorheis said.

Member Rod Patterson explains that being homeless isn’t always how people imagine it.

“Homeless doesn’t just mean you’re sitting out on the street without a roof over your head. Homelessness can be you have no permanent residence and there’s some term they use like couch surfing – they just hang out with someone who lets them sleep on their sofa for some time until they find someplace else,” Patterson said.

To get involved, contact Patterson at 674-3467 or  Voorheis at 842-5005.