WILMINGTON — On Monday, members of the Clinton County Coalition in Homelessness (CCCH) talked about their plan to help the county’s homeless population while also hearing feedback from locals.

Tom Albanese, a consultant from Columbus who specializes in homeless situations, led the discussions on Monday.

“What I’ve learned in my time is that the solutions are already here,” said Albanese. “I can bring some knowledge. I can bring some examples. But most of all … the knowledge is here.”

He told the crowd the Coalition’s plan and the process aren’t perfect but wants to bring people in to help with this discussion and get the word out about it.

Albanese and others interviewed locals who identified as homeless and hope to get their stories out as a means to figure out how to help.

Some of the locals were concerned about crime associated with certain homeless individuals. One local, Jamie Knowles, felt that only one aspect was being discussed. Knowles said the effect it has on non-homeless locals was being ignored — whether it’s someone whose house was broken into by apparent homeless subjects or something more serious.

“There’s a lot of upset citizens that are fed up with (the homeless situation). Heaven forbid if we were to hit somebody that was homeless (with their car) walking across the street because they’re not paying attention. And I can get that, they’re not in the right mind. But what does that do to the person who hit them,” asked Knowles.

When it came to discussions about who is deemed “deserving” of being helped, members of the Coalition talked about getting to know the individuals and listening to their stories, while also not denying some have committed criminal acts.

Rich and Angel Boll from Wilmington Church of God talked about their experiences with helping homeless individuals.

“There’s a lot of banter back and forth, but until we’re all trained and we all understand statistically what’s happening in this community … until we know the plan, once the plan is laid … then we’ll have the answer to those questions,” said Rich Boll.

He added that in his experience he’s been able to discern with the right questions. Angel Boll also talked about how hope is a powerful thing for some and how this isn’t something that can be fixed overnight.

“All of this is not instantaneous. It takes getting to know them, getting in their mess, getting to know them, and it’s not easy to distinguish who is help-able and not … you have to walk with them. Are there some who aren’t able to help? Yes … you can only do so much,” said Angel Boll.

She added she will help those who always seek help, but she doesn’t play games with them and has rules in place.

The next CCCH meeting will take place at 10 a.m. on Jan. 19. The location is to be determined.

To learn more about CCCH, volunteering, and about its plan, visit: sites.google.com/a/clintoncountyhomelessshelter.org/cchs.