Study showing homeless drop is already out of date in Mercer

[The Times]

Study showing homeless drop is already out of date in Mercer
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
BY CARMEN CUSIDO

Homelessness in Mercer County dropped by 47 percent over the two years ending in 2007, according to a report yesterday by the Homelessness Research Institute of the National Alliance to End Homelessness. However, local advocates for the poor said the downward trend is already old news as homeless numbers have been climbing again in Mercer the past several months.

The report said there was a 10 percent drop in homelessness nationwide during the same two years: from 744,313 people without overnight shelter in January 2005, to 671,859 without shelter in January 2007. The report noted a 28 percent decrease in chronic, or long-term homelessness, and an 18 percent decrease in family homelessness.

While Mercer had a 47 percent reduction in the total homeless population between 2005 and 2007, Mary Gay Abbott-Young, executive director of Rescue Mission of Trenton on Carroll Avenue, said the organization has been providing shelter for additional people for several months now.

From Jan. 1-12 last year, there were 1,722 clients served at the Rescue Mission of Trenton. During the same period this month, there were 2,089 people at the overnight shelter, Abbott-Young said. That represents a 21 percent increase.

The National Alliance doesn't dispute that homeless numbers are climbing in many places. If nothing is done in the next two years, an additional 1.5 million Americans are likely to become homeless in the next two years, said Nan Roman, president of the Washington, D.C.-based National Alliance to End Homelessness.

Homeless advocacy groups are requesting $2 billion in government bailout money for homeless prevention and rapid "re-housing" money, $400 million for the Section 8 Rental Voucher Program through HUD that increases affordable housing choices for very low-income households, and $10 billion for the National Housing Trust Fund to complete construction on affordable housing developments that had been stalled because of the recession, Roman said.

"Unemployment and poverty are closely associated with homelessness. An increase in those two areas means a possible increase in homelessness," she said, adding the federal money would go toward prevention, rapid re-housing and focusing on getting individuals out of shelters rapidly before the situation becomes chronic.

Herb Levine, executive director of the Mercer Alliance to End Homelessness, said it's very telling that in recent months, soup kitchen past donors and volunteers are now asking for assistance.

"That puts a face on it," Levine said, adding that in the last six months, homelessness as well as the number of people on welfare and food stamps in Mercer County has been increasing.

"The federal government can put money in the stimulus package for homelessness prevention for people teetering on the edge of homelessness" said Levine, adding that those at-risk individuals are the ones that are losing their jobs, have several minimum wage jobs or have doubled up with friends and family.

Though not part of the report, some recent trends include an aging homeless population, an increase in the number of homeless families in cities like New York and Portland, Ore., and a homeless boom among young adults in their 20s.

"These are some unpleasant things we have to look forward to in the future, sadly," said Roman, but added, "the good news is the decreases happened at a time when housing costs were very high, housing is the driver for homelessness, we're learning something about how short-term intervention can go a long way."

Abbott-Young said the economic crisis -- a factor driving more people into shelters -- has also resulted in a decrease in furniture and clothing donations, but the organization received monetary donations during the holidays last month.

"We're going to have an increase in factors known to contribute to homelessness," she said, "unemployment, increase in stress levels, mortgage foreclosures."

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