In last week’s Bellevue Reporter, staff writer Celeste Gracey wrote about the struggle of organizations and cities to provide winter shelter to the homeless.

It was an eye-opener.

(If you missed it, you can find it on our web site.)

Celeste spent a number of days meeting with city officials from Bellevue to Issaquah and Redmond. She interviewed organizations involved with helping the homeless, particularly The Sophia Way (which helps women) and Congregations for the Homeless (which helps men). She also spent time talking with a homeless man from Bellevue who shared his concerns.

The bottom line is that there are people and organizations working hard to help the homeless. Unfortunately, it isn’t enough. It never is.

The city of Bellevue has opened the Crossroads Community Center at night as a warm weather shelter when the temperatures drop below freezing. While good, what really was needed is a shelter that is available every night throughout the winter since while the temperature may not be freezing, it’s still plenty cold out there on the streets.

What Celeste also found out is that while some homeless people have contributed to their situation through substance abuse, etc., that’s not the case with everyone. Lack of a job in a down economy can make paying rent and buying food nearly, if not, impossible.

This area is making strides to help the homeless. But it can seem as if each step forward brings about another stumble.

Eastside cities and organizations have pitched in to locate a facility in Redmond that can house the homeless overnight during the winter. The stumble is that people who are homeless don’t have the means to get there to use the facility.

Yes, Metro Transit does run buses, but people who are homeless generally don’t have money, either, making it almost impossible to come up with the bus fare. It also takes a long time to travel from one Eastside city to another by bus. Try it from Issaquah to Redmond sometime.

What, then, is the answer? There probably isn’t one in a down economy when cities and organizations are struggling with reduced budgets. Adding on more expenses can seem as not much more than wishful hope.

The solution, at least for now, doesn’t have to be perfect, only better. Are there buses or vans available at night than can help transport the homeless to the Redmond shelter? Are there people willing to donate their time to help those who have no hope?

If neither of these is a fit for you, perhaps you might see fit to donate some money to the cause. That’s always in short supply, too.

Three winters ago, a homeless man died from exposure on Christmas night helping the homeless truly is a life-or-death situation.

If you can give some time or money to the cause, please try. If you can’t, at least have compassion.