Some reports estimate that nearly 28,000 families do not have permanent shelter in our county. Do you see them? Or do you wonder where they are?

If you spend any time in Santa Ana, chances are you’ve seen a lot of homeless people. You know who they are because many of them look like they’ve been living on the streets for a while.

These men and women have complex needs. Many of them medical. Your partnership with the Orange County Rescue Mission makes it possible to reach them not just with food but also with our mobile medical units.

Do something now to help Orange County’s homeless families.

But the men and women sleeping on park benches and pushing their belongings in a shopping cart account for a fraction of the homeless people in our community.

The rest are hidden from view.

In fact, you may pass people on the street — or even work with people —who are also homeless. I hear their stories every day.

• Travis lived in a tree house in his friend’s backyard.
• Holly lived in her car with her four year old son at the beach.
• Cynthia and her children moved from motel to motel using vouchers issued by county services for hotels because the waiting list for housing is so long.

Children growing up in motel rooms, eating out of boxes, fighting to get a decent night’s sleep in a room shared with their entire family… with no end to this transient lifestyle in sight.

Your partnership with the Orange County Rescue Mission is helping to provide solutions to all types of homelessness.

We work to help families get on their feet and into real housing — breaking the cycle of homelessness and giving families hope for the future.

Your gift of $1.48 provides a meal and care for a homeless and hungry person.

Thank you for helping to provide lasting solutions to homelessness.

Jim Palmer