When Tara Lang began working as a community health navigator in Jefferson County, one of the first gaps she noticed was also one of the most serious.

Housing.

Lang said she started her role by researching resources, connecting with community partners, and attending coalition meetings. As referrals came in, she began looking for places to send people who needed housing help.

She found income-based housing lists. She found some resources outside the county. She found Shared Blessings in Bonne Terre as transitional options. But when she looked for immediate housing solutions inside Jefferson County, she kept running into the same problem.

There were almost none.

“I was like, we have nothing in Jefferson County,” Lang said.

At first, she wondered if she was missing something. But after talking with others, she realized the lack of resources was real.

“You are not finding anything or connecting because we don’t have any,” she recalled being told.

That realization changed how Lang saw the problem.

Jefferson County has income-based apartments, but Lang said those often come with long waitlists. For the family sitting in front of her that day, a waiting list does not solve the immediate crisis.

Lang said she regularly works with families who are living in unsafe or unstable situations. Some are sleeping in cars. Some are couch surfing. Some are staying in toxic environments because they do not have another option. Others may have their names on housing lists but are still waiting months or even more than a year.

For Lang, the issue is not about giving people free housing forever. It is about creating a path toward safety and stability.

“It’s more like, here is a leg up, here is a helping hand to get you stable and safe,” Lang said.

Lang believes Jefferson County needs more creative housing solutions. That could include additional transitional living programs, tiny home communities, affordable housing models, or tiered programs that help families move from crisis to stability over time.

She said the planned Caritas House through Catholic Charities is an important step and will likely be pivotal for the community. But she also said one program cannot meet the entire county’s need.

“It’ll house twenty, twenty-five people at most,” Lang said. “That’s going to be a drop in the bucket to what our needs are for our community.”

How the Community Can Get Involved

Lang said Jefferson County needs more than concern. It needs conversation, planning, and action.

Residents can ask local officials to hold work sessions on housing needs and creative housing solutions. Nonprofits, churches, landlords, builders, civic organizations, and county leaders can begin discussing what practical programs could work here.

Community members can also support existing groups already serving families in crisis, while encouraging local leaders to look at models from other counties that have created transitional housing, inclement weather shelters, or other affordable options.

The need is already here. Lang’s message is that Jefferson County should start building solutions now.