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WILKES-BARRE &mdash; Kirby Savage is a 54-year-old recovering crack addict who says the Keystone Mission saved his life.
				Savage was at the center, located off of Coal Street in Wilkes-Barre, to help CEO Justin Behrens get the message out that homelessness in Luzerne County is getting worse and with winter on its way, it&rsquo;s time to take a serious look at establishing a &ldquo;transformation center.&rdquo;
				On Friday morning, Behrens was in the midst of a 24-hour online discussion that he hopes will serve several purposes &mdash; educate the public and elected officials, as well as stakeholders in the battle against homelessness, and to hopefully begin the process of securing the necessary funding to establish a transformation center for the homeless.
				Savage was eager to do what he can to help get the message out and he talked about why he feels it&rsquo;s necessary.
				&ldquo;They got me off the street,&rdquo; Savage said of Keystone Mission. &ldquo;They gave me food and clothing and helped me stop using that garbage (crack cocaine).&rdquo;
				Savage said he was sleeping in dark corners of Public Square night after night until he finally convinced himself that he needed help.
				&ldquo;I just quit,&rdquo; he said of his drug habit. &ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t paying my rent. All I wanted was that garbage. Homeless people would get help at a center. They would get shelter, food, clothing and guidance.&rdquo;
				Where to begin?
				Keystone Mission, which has locations in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, is a 501 (c)(3) faith-based, nonprofit that provides food and clothing to homeless and low-income people, as well as connecting them with providers of vital services, including medical, dental, mental health and substance abuse treatment.
				Behrens said his 24-hour online discussion was aimed at getting the word out about the need for a &ldquo;transformation center&rdquo; in Luzerne County. Behrens said he prefers transformation center over homeless shelter because the objective is to get homeless people back on track and to return them to society with jobs and a purpose.
				&ldquo;A transformation center is about changing a person&rsquo;s life,&rdquo; Behrens said. &ldquo;We will address why they are homeless and we will work with them to make them sustainable. It wouldn&rsquo;t just be a place for them to sleep and leave in the morning.&rdquo;
				Behrens wants to bring all stakeholders together to begin the dialogue. He said first and foremost is to find a location that would be suitable and acceptable.
				&ldquo;We have to start asking the seriously hard questions,&rdquo; Behrens said. &ldquo;We have to find a location that will work and we have to secure the funding needed to establish it and to get it up and running.&rdquo;
				Behrens said Wilkes-Barre City Council member Tony Brooks stopped by and said he would get involved.
				&ldquo;We have to build relationships,&rdquo; Behrens said. &ldquo;We have to work as a team. This is not a political issue &mdash; it&rsquo;s a bipartisan problem.&rdquo;
				Behrens said the homeless population in Luzerne County has been estimated at 182, but he said the Keystone Mission sees about 230 on a regular basis. He said the St. Vincent de Paul Kitchen serves many more meals than that every day it&rsquo;s open.

Behrens leading effort to raise awareness of homeless issues