Committees involved in a countywide effort to end homelessness will meet next week to consider the challenges homelessness pose to teenagers and those with mental illnesses.

The Homeless Youth Committee will meet from 5 to 7 p.m., on Tuesday at the North Bend Public Library, 1800 Sherman Ave. On Thursday, the Homeless Mentally Ill Committee will meet from 5 to 7 p.m. in Lakeview rooms E & F in Empire Hall on the Southwestern Oregon Community College campus in Coos Bay.

The meetings, which are open to the public, will review current information on the topics, allow participants to share their ideas, and discuss goals and objectives for the effort.

The effort, known as the 10-year Plan to End Homelessness, was unveiled in 2007. Like its name suggests, the program’s goal is to ensure housing to all the county’s residents. Since its inception, the program has progressed in fits and starts. Organizers surveyed for homeless people in shelters and on the street. Bob More, director of housing and emergency services for Oregon Coast Community Action, has held several meetings to discuss the problem, but certain steps, such as creating the 10-year plan, have yet to take place.

Last month, Community Action secured funding that More hopes will move the plan forward quickly. Already, a committee looking at homeless families met on July 31.

The work of all three committees will be considered by a steering committee and drafted into actions and strategies of the 10-Year Plan. The Steering Committee is expected to meet three times between now and November, as strategic planning gets off the ground.

The first steering committee meeting is scheduled from 4 to 6 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 17, in Lakeview room E in Empire Hall.

Anyone interested in serving on any of the committees can call More at 888-7022.