MONROE, La. – The Jim Taylor Auto Group announced it will be donating a portion of its proceeds to the Front Door for Housing program for the entire month of March.
The Front Door for Housing program is a partnership between The Wellspring, the HOME Coalition, and the United Way of Northeast Louisiana.
Sarah Johnson, Director of the HOME Coalition, said the program was designed to fill the gaps in the region’s homeless services, many of which focus on select groups, such as veterans or domestic abuse victims.
She said most of the homeless population in the region doesn’t fall into any of those categories. Thanks to the partnership, she said those in need can call 211 to be directed to a program that can help them.
Johnson said the length of time people spend homeless has dropped from an average of 60 days to 38 since the program’s start in 2018.
“And we actually had waiting lists for people waiting to get help, and now we have people moving through the system so fast that we almost don’t have any,” she said.
Johnson said most people who experience homelessness aren’t lazy or unwilling to work. She said many of them may have just had an unexpected bill, and they weren’t able to make rent.
“They’re busy people like the rest of us, but they’re living kind of on the edge. Their income is low and the cost of living is high,” she said.
Johnson said those in need don’t have to wait until after they have a problem to reach out for help.
“When they see a problem beginning to arise, they should not wait. Don’t wait until they get an eviction notice. Don’t wait until their housing is threatened. Call 211 and talk to them and they can tell you what resources can head that off at the pass,” she said.
The donation is part of this year’s Jim Taylor Memorial Sales Event. Tanya Pesek, a Jim Taylor owner, said these events were established to honor her father, Jim Taylor, who’s birthday and date of passing were both in March.
She said her mother always believed that strong communities benefited everyone.
“By giving back to the community, we make it a better place to live, a more prosperous place to live, a better place to have employment. And it’s good for us as retailers, and it’s good for us as citizens, and it’s good for the quality of our families’ schools and education. It’s just good for everything,” she said.
