THOMASVILLE- The Thomas County Board of Commissioners heard an update from Fountain of Life Rescue, Inc. during their regular meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 10. During the update, commissioners were informed of the enormous amount of growth Fountain of Life Rescue has seen since this time last year.

The year to date shelter report indicates from Jan. 2023- Aug. 2023, the Fountain of Life Rescue, Inc. has already served 733 individuals compared to the 538 individuals they served from Jan. 2022-Dec. 2022.

Fountain of Life Rescue is a non-profit, non-denominational, charitable organization for homeless women and men. Their mission is to extend hospitality in accordance with instructions contained in Mt. 25 and set forth by Jesus Christ. They carry out their mission by providing safe shelter for the homeless, supporting services for victims of homelessness and promoting community awareness and education to help prevent and break the cycle of homelessness.

They are currently open Thursday-Sunday from 6 p.m.- 8 a.m. and offer 21 beds to individuals in need.

Fountain of Life Rescue Shelter Board members explained to the Commissioners that they offer much more than just a bed to sleep in.

“They also are allowed to get a hot shower and wash their clothes, so they can have a sense of pride about them,” they explained. “We also give them snacks and drinks and provide them with follow up services such as the Thomas County Food Bank, Salvation Army and Veteran’s Affairs office.”

With the increase in numbers and amount of services being provided, Fountain of Life Rescue did request funding from the Commissioners, before accepting any questions about their ongoing efforts to help the homeless.

District 4 Commissioner Mark NeSmith thanked Fountain of Life Rescue for everything they were doing before questioning how long an individual was allowed to stay in the facility.

Chris March, who previously worked with Halcyon Home, was able to provide some insight on how long an individual typically stays.

March explained that the duration of the stay all depends on what the homeless individual is doing and the progress they are making.

“We help some of these people get disability, but as everyone knows it’s really hard to get disability,” she said. “You may be turned down 2-3 times, so we are there until you get it.”

March and other staff members have gone to great lengths to help these individuals get the services they so desperately need, including acquiring the help of pro-bono attorneys, who work on behalf of the homeless to get their benefits.

“If they’re doing what they need to do, and not just staying there and getting a meal and showering, then we work with them,” March said in response to NeSmith.

When the individuals leave for the day at 8 a.m., March and her co-workers follow up with them when they return later that evening to see the status.

“We ask them if they went to the food bank or if they had a problem getting into the food bank, did they need help answering some of the questions or if we need to talk to someone,” she said. “As long as they are doing what they are supposed to do, we don’t put a time limit on them, because it’s not fair to them.”

March said many of the individuals they see on a regular basis would not change, if it were not for the regular follow ups and encouragement.

“We’ve seen a lot of success stories come out of this, maybe not as many as some would like, but we’ve had 733 people come through just since January,” she said.

Hearing that Fountain of Life Rescue was helping individuals get benefits provided a relief to the Commissioners, but led NeSmith to question how the individuals were able to fill out questionaries without a permanent residence.

March said many of the resources Fountain of Life Rescue works with understand these individuals do not have an address and are allowed to put down they are staying at the facility. However, Fountain of Life Rescue is not allowed to accept any individual’s mail.

“We do get a lot of calls to confirm that an individual is staying at our residence, and we are more than happy to confirm that for them,” March said.

Doing this helps the homeless solve their problems, which is all part of the Fountain of Life Rescue’s goal.

“We want to put them in a position, where they don’t need to come here and can move on with their life,” said Fountain of Life Rescue Board President Nate Tyler.

Commissioners thanked the organization for their update and answering the questions, stating they would take under advisement their funding request.