By Eileen Buckley
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wbfo/local-wbfo-927771.mp3
Buffalo, NY – The Buffalo City Mission has launched a lofty goal in hopes of helping a growing homeless population.
The City Mission kicked off its largest fall campaign. The City Mission will try to raise $1.8 million.
City Mission executive director Stuart Harper said more than 64% of homeless families in this region are experiencing homelessness for the first time.
"85% of the homeless adults are women. So we are talking about women and children making up a majority of these quote families," said Harper.
Harper said Buffalo has always had poverty and homeless issues, but what is different is a majority of the families experiencing it never had issues in the past.
"Normally in the summer time our Mission would historically empty out as the good weather came. But this year we didn't see that, and last year we didn't see that because the streets were not an option for a lot of people staying with us. They didn't come from the streets. They came from an apartment or some kind of housing they lost," said Harper.
This year's theme is "One Mission, One Hope".
You can listen to an interview with Harper by clicking the above audio.