COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — Two Columbus agencies that battle homelessness in the community have joined forces. 

SafeHouse Ministries, through its newly established Freedom House on Schatulga Road, is partnering with The Plummer Home to serve homeless veterans. 

This is good news for the homeless military veterans who call Columbus home. START PACK 

The Rev. Roy Plummer – founder of the Plummer Home – turned to scripture that he said Mother Teresa often quoted. 

“She would always quote a passage of scripture from the Gospel of Matthew,” Plummer said “And I think I need to quote it today because it’s kind of apropos. Here’s what it says, are you ready for this, it says. ‘Whatever you do unto the lease of these, you are doing it to me.’ That is a quote from my Lord.” 

And the partnership with SafeHouse Ministries in the old Cobis Personal Care Home offers a chance to do something special, said Neil Richardson, executive director SafeHouse Ministries. 

“The ability to partner with them means in all honesty, that partnership means there won’t be a single homeless vet in our community.” 

The most recent Home for Good homeless count in February found there were 241 homeless people in the community. Eleven of those were military veterans.

It’s people like Daniel Michaels who will benefit. After 14 years in the Marines, he was homeless and in trouble with the law. 

 “I lived out in the woods for three or four years,” Michaels said. “And they recognized that and said, ‘No, we can’t have that.’ They are the only people who actually saved me.” 

The intake will come through the Plummer Home system. 

“Then we will be able to add the case management, and the housing here while we begin processing them into permanent housing,” Richardson said.

“The Infrastructure that Neil is blessed to be able to run is so much stronger than ours,” said Greg Jordan, chairman The Plummer Home. We are good with what we do with the homeless military, but to be able to learn under his environment and get stronger and better at what we do the merger is a beautiful example of working together.” 

Right now, The Plummer Home has the capacity to serve six homeless veterans. There are 104 beds at Freedom House, dramatically increasing the potential capacity. 

Congressman Sanford Bishop praised the cooperation between SafeHouse and The Plummer Home.

“I think it’s symbolic and it represents a new attitude in terms of how we serve,” Bishop said. “Service is nothing more than the rent we pay for the space we occupy on this earth.”