“There is so much homelessness in this city that people are not aware of,” she said a few weeks ago. “I know a guy who has been sleeping in a truck since October. I’ve known of entire families living in their cars.

The man living in a truck just recently found living quarters with a friend, she noted last week.

“There are those who have, and those who have not. I don’t think people really realize how bad it is unless they’re confronted with it personally.”

Joy Plummer, executive director of Operation Love Ministries, also reports meeting homeless people who have resorted to desperate measures. She said she knows of someone who lived in a dog shelter for a while because it was the only place that could be found.

More commonly, however, people live in cars or move in with family members.

“Their first line of hope is that they can live with someone they know,” said Plummer. “If they have family in the area, many times they are also totally tapped out, so they turn to an organization.”

Through her ministry, Plummer tries to locate housing for the city’s homeless — whom she says are more numerous than many people think. Local shelters often are full, so individuals are forced to look elsewhere.

“If we find a place, we pay the bus ticket for them to get there,” Plummer said. “We don’t want anyone living on the street.”

Cindy Mummert, executive director of the Anderson Housing Authority, also tries to keep people from living on the streets. By providing both public housing and Section 8 housing, Mummert’s federally funded office tries to place everyone in a home. However, many times the needs of the community outweigh the available resources.

Presently, she said, approximately 400 people are on the waiting list for public housing and 400 are on the list for Section 8.

“The need is great, but the money is not there to service the need,” she said.

Mummert described the lack of funding as being a national problem. 

“It’s very difficult to send people away and tell them we have no money to help them,” Mummert said. “Families who are desperate and in need can’t understand that you can’t help them due to lack of funding. We’re running on bare bones here, trying to service as many families as we can.”

Deb King, deputy director of community development and long-range planning for the City of Anderson, also offers support for income-eligible families by providing housing opportunities and various kinds of assistance — financial and otherwise.

But while King doesn’t deny the homelessness problem, she sees hope in the prospect of a better economy and in collaboration.