A task force looking into homeless issues in Lawrence began its quest Wednesday to try to get a grasp of the breadth of the problem.

“The mayor wants us to come up with alternative proposals, and the City Commission will take it from there,” Commissioner Mike Rundle told task force members Wednesday at their initial meeting.

Rundle was appointed last month by Mayor David Dunfield as chairman of the task force, made up of 17 people from a variety of neighborhood, religious, social service and businesses organizations.

The group decided it needed a comprehensive look at who makes up the homeless population, estimated to include 130 to 150 people, as well as existing programs.

They also agreed to look at programs used in other communities and their resources. Two committees were formed to study those issues.

Task force member Katherine Dinsdale expressed concern the group would get too bogged down in obtaining information and suggested looking at the overall vision of the problem.

“Given the appropriate resources, how can we best overcome the problem of homelessness?” asked Dinsdale, a former member of the Salvation Army board.

A task force committee was formed to ask that question of Lawrence residents and businesses.

The homeless are being defined by the task force as those who are staying in an inadequate living place or in a temporary or emergency shelter. It is the same definition used by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Working with the homeless and getting them off the streets into permanent housing will not be easy, said Rich Forney of the Salvation Army, which operates a homeless shelter.

“We need to educate them,” he said. “They’ve developed a separate type of lifestyle. You have to break down these barriers, and it is really difficult.”

The task force will have its next meeting at 4 p.m. Aug. 26 in City Commission chambers at City Hall.

Staff writer Mike Belt can be reached at 832-7165.