Tara Lang believes Jefferson County has spent too long reacting to human-service needs instead of planning for them.

As a community health navigator with Chestnut Health Systems, stationed at the Jefferson County Health Department, Lang works directly with residents who are struggling with housing, transportation, food, mental health care, insurance, and other basic needs.

From that position, she sees a county that is growing, but not always building the support systems that growth requires.

“We have not been proactive as a community, as a county on these resource needs,” Lang said.

Lang said more jobs and growth can be good for Jefferson County, but resources must be part of the conversation. Without planning, she said the county will continue to find itself in a reactive position.

Her message to local officials is direct: get informed by getting into the community.

Lang said county leaders and other elected officials should attend community lunches, outreach events, and local service programs. They should talk to the people who are struggling, as well as the organizations trying to help them.

She also wants to see work sessions focused on community needs and creative housing solutions. Those conversations could bring together nonprofits, health care providers, police departments, school social workers, libraries, churches, and county officials.

Lang said groups like Compass, Chestnut, Mercy, law enforcement, school personnel, and local coalitions all see pieces of the problem. Bringing them together could help Jefferson County better understand the full picture.

“How do we come together and address this?” Lang said.

Lang said she sometimes sits through public meetings and hears officials celebrate good things happening in their districts, such as farmers markets or local improvements. She said those things are valuable, but they should not crowd out the serious struggles facing many residents.

“We have a whole huge population of people struggling in the worst ways,” Lang said.

Still, Lang does see progress.

She pointed to programs such as The James II Project, Cedar Oak in High Ridge, the Compass Crisis Center, The Collective, and other community efforts as signs that Jefferson County is moving in the right direction.

“We’re on the right track,” Lang said. “But I would just love to see us honed in a little bit more on specific housing solutions and programming.”

For Lang, the issue may feel overwhelming, but that cannot be an excuse to ignore it.

“I am just glad that we’re starting to have these conversations,” she said.

How the Community Can Get Involved

Lang said residents do not have to solve everything overnight. They can start by showing up.

Community members can attend local lunches, volunteer with service organizations, support outreach events, contact elected officials, and ask city and county leaders to hold public work sessions on housing and human-service needs.

Residents can also talk with libraries, churches, schools, police departments, and nonprofits about what needs they are seeing.

Lang said the most important first step is refusing to look away.

Jefferson County’s needs are real. So are the people facing them. And according to Lang, the community will only become stronger when it decides to face those needs together.