DATE: Tuesday, October 28, 1997             TAG: 9710280300

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY NANCY LEWIS, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:   37 lines

TASK FORCE MAY NEED MORE HELP FOR HOMELESS

If God were creating an ideal world for South Hampton Roads' homeless, city boundaries would be erased, the Rev. James Cobb told fellow members of Norfolk's Task Force on Homelessness Monday.

One of the drawbacks of developing a care plan for just Norfolk is that the port city anchors a region whose five cities each have their share of poor and homeless, Cobb said.

The 27-member group appointed by the City Council to come up with a plan to deal with the city's burgeoning homeless population is expected to report to the council by May. The group split into two subcommittees Monday - to study education and housing.

David Cochran, panel member from Sacred Heart Church, said trying to piece together some kind of regional approach to the problem of homelessness ``may be part of the puzzle.''

The urgency of the situation for the city's estimated 2,000 homeless as winter approaches was not lost on task force members.

``The bottom line is, more and more calls are coming in with welfare reform,'' said Cochran.

Just how short beds and other services for the homeless are was brought home in an analysis compiled with data from 11 providers, using numbers of those served and turned away one day last spring.

While a total of 1,000 shelter beds were called for, only 423 were open. There was also a shortage of support services. For example, while 405 needed food, clothing and showers, only 49 received them on April 10.

Lee Green, who operates a rotating church shelter program, said more information on what's actually out there is needed before the group can begin to address what is lacking.

Instead, suggested Cochran, ``Let's zero in on a plan. Maybe we need to reach for the sky.''

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