A group representing Great Bend and Golden Belt area organizations met Friday to see what they could do to better get the word out on the services they offer.
A panel of individuals representing some 40 agencies and organizations were invited to Heartland Community Church at 4907 10th St. Friday afternoon as “Friends Who Care” to share a brief overview of their services and explore ways to better meet the needs of the people they serve.
Representatives of local services shared their stories with others representing multiple counties in the area on focuses ranging from individual self-improvement to crisis intervention and financial assistance to continuing education.
District 2 Barton County Commissioner Barb Esfeld outlined the purpose of the meeting prior to introductions. “For about the last six months to a year, every time someone had come to me for help, I would then be calling people all around town. I realize that Great Bend has the best resources, but I feel like we need to come together. If we shared what we do with each other today, we could work smarter and help more people,” Esfeld said.
Amy Ferguson was introduced as the Barton County resource coordinator. Ferguson said that the position was created by grant money that provided contact information for programs such as 12-step, assessments, senior living and treatment. The role had since expanded, due to the pandemic, to include other services that people in need could have access to.
The Barton County Resource Guide is a 65-page publication created in October 2019 that provides an alphabetical listing of services from addiction and substance abuse, to emergency, law enforcement organizations, state agencies and hotline numbers. Meant as a comprehensive publication, the guide is in need of updating, Ferguson said, due to additional services being offered as well as changes in contact personnel for the existing listing. The guide is currently available online at www.bartoncounty.org. Under the Health Department tab, click on “Resources.”
Discussion Friday, however, turned to ways that the group could band together to increase its online presence for those seeking assistance.
Efforts include exploring existing listings, available in hardcopy, or website services online, that provide secure access to contact information that can be accessed by the public or by staff members in other organizations.
“It may not be quite a ‘one-stop-shop,’ but we can work together to make the search easier,” noted Buzz Birney, with Live Like Jesus Today Ministries in Great Bend.
“We have so many great services, great ministries and great things happening,” Birney said. “With all of that available, sometimes the people that need help can get confused about where to go, what to do, who to see. If they come to us — and they do all the time — we’re trying the best we can, but we don’t have the money available to take them all over to the places they need to be.
“So when I can’t afford another hotel, I need to know who else helps the homeless, or somebody that needs help; who besides me can help them get some counseling.
“What we want to do is streamline it so we can be better stewards of what we have,” Birney said. “People come to us who don’t have money, don’t have transportation, they have a need; when they make the effort to make contact and they can’t, we don’t want them to just give up on it.
“There has to be a way that we can work together though our own organizations and others to make sure that people can get the help they need. It’s not just us; it’s a problem for our counties and our states. But we can see what we can do here to make that hard road easier.”
