10/14/2026
Beyond the Encampments: A Community Conversation
Unsheltered homelessness is one of the most frustrating and divisive issues any community faces. Residents and business owners worry about safety, sanitation, and the health of the people living outside. Cities feel pressure to act, and many have turned to public camping bans to address those concerns.
But when cities clear encampments, the people living in them don’t disappear. They scatter. That can make it harder for outreach workers to find them, and it breaks up the informal networks people rely on to look out for each other.
TAT has operated a low-barrier resource center in Carbondale, IL, for three years, and we applaud the City of Carbondale for its willingness to address unsheltered homelessness and for the work already done to connect people with housing and resources. Now we need to build on that with effective, lasting solutions. The most effective ones put people with lived experience at the center.
Join Take Action Today and the Perry/Jackson ROSC Council for Beyond the Encampments, a community listening session. We’re bringing together people with lived experience, providers, advocates, and neighbors for an honest conversation about what’s happening on the ground and what we can do about it.
This isn’t a debate. It’s a chance to listen to each other and leave with real ideas. We’ll talk about the gaps people are falling through, the resources and partnerships we already have, and the solutions we can build together.
If you’ve lived it, your voice matters most in this room. If you serve, advocate, or simply care about Carbondale, we need you there too.
📅 Thursday, October 15, 2026
🕠 5:30 PM
📍 First Christian Church, 306 W. Monroe St., Carbondale
Questions? Contact Jessica Marczewski, Perry/Jackson ROSC Coordinator, at 618-218-0620 or [email protected].
Together we can make a difference. 💚
