The Executive Director of the Keystone Opportunity Center in Souderton, Karen Kispert, says the resources available to help people find suitable housing have never kept up with the demand, and in the current economy it’s been more difficult. Even so, she says, most people in Bucks and Montgomery Counties are finding some kind of shelter.

“Fortunately, in our area people literally on the street are rare.  The homeless people tend to be hidden from view most often, doubled up with family and friends, perhaps staying in a motel for weeks or a couple of months.  In the summer they might even be in a campground, so it is a real problem, often a hidden problem.”

Kispert says they get about 600 calls a year from people who need help with housing problems, and they are mostly from Bucks and Montgomery Counties.  She says the Keystone Opportunity Center has had to make very difficult decisions concerning programs and personnel, but the community support is still strong, and they are always looking for new and creative solutions to problems.  She appeared Monday on the WNPV talk program Indian Valley Live.