Oregon Coast Community Action is producing a 10-year plan to end homelessness in Coos County.

“When We All Have Homes” is moving forward with strategic planning and Community Action’s Homeless Families Committee will host a public meeting on the topic Thursday, July 31.

The event will be from 5 to 7 p.m. at Eden Hall, at Southwestern Oregon Comm-unity College.

Discussion will include a review of the information gathered so far on homeless families, offer an opportunity for the community to provide input and talk about goals and objectives the committee might recommend.

Two other committees will meet later to address youth and mental illness issues in relation to homelessness.

Homelessness traditionally has been a problem people think should be solved by social service providers, government agencies and law enforcement personnel, but homelessness is a community problem that runs deeper than the solutions these services can provide, a press release said.

“Local homeless service providers are doing the best they can with the resources available to them, but we are still seeing homelessness in the area increasing,” said Robert More, Community Action’s director of Housing and Emergency Services.

“There are parts of the puzzle that only can be solved by forming community partnerships and by community-wide coordinated efforts.”

Community Action has secured funding to help move the efforts of the plan forward. A Plan Steering Committee will review the work of all three committees, discuss recommendations and draft the goals and actions of the plan.

The Steering Committee is expected to meet three times between July and November.

For more information, call 888-7108 or go to the web site at http://www.orcca.us.