Advocacy Groups Fear New Wave of Homeless

[balantz]

ECONOMY-US: Advocacy Groups Fear New Wave of Homeless

By Jonathan Springston

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=45684


ATLANTA, Georgia, Feb 5 (IPS) - Homeless advocates in the United States say if the new Congress and the Barack Obama administration do nothing, many more low-income people already teetering on the brink could end up living on the streets over the next two years.

"The numbers, unfortunately, are expected to rise and get worse before it gets better," Michael Stoops, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, told IPS. "It's going to get worse unless people come to the bargaining table."

"We've projected there be an additional 1.5 million people who experience homelessness over the next two years if we don't do anything," said Nan Roman, president of the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH).

The NAEH broke down statistics that show homelessness decreased from January 2005 to January 2007, based on snapshot counts collected by homeless services agencies that are required by the government to count their client populations every other year on one night in January.

The count fell from 744,313 in 2005 to 671,859 in 2007. Overall, 34 states and the District of Columbia reported decreases in homelessness.

But more recent figures signal a reversal of this trend. In December 2008, the U.S. Conference of Mayors found that of 25 cities surveyed, 19 reported some kind of increase in homelessness between Oct. 1, 2007 and Oct. 30, 2008.

The report concluded that it is "unclear" how the economic crisis and foreclosure epidemic will affect homelessness in the next two years. "However, with the economy in a recession and unemployment rising, it is likely that the need for homeless services will remain steady if not increase," it said.

Foreclosures are pushing many people into the streets who were already close.

The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) reported in December 2008 that more than a fifth of the properties facing foreclosure nationwide are rentals and because rental properties often are home to multiple families, renters make up nearly half of the families facing eviction.

As a result, very low-income families and low-income and minority communities bear the brunt of rental foreclosures.

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Twelve of the 25 survey cities in the Conference of Mayors report blamed the increase in homelessness on foreclosures. Additionally, 60 percent of cities said a lack of affordable housing caused homelessness while 72 percent said the shortage caused homelessness for families.

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"Many Americans are now losing or facing the prospect of losing their homes as both homeowners and renters feel the impact of the foreclosure crisis, and millions more Americans are likely to fall into deep poverty in the coming months as a result of rising unemployment and declining state and local funding for safety net programmes that assist people who are unable to find work," said Deborah DeSantis, president of the Corporation for Supportive Housing.

"Among them will be thousands of vulnerable and disabled people who will need supportive housing," she added. "Congress and the new president need to commit even more federal help to our efforts to combat homelessness in every community."

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The NAEH recommends Congress and the Obama administration create 400,000 new housing vouchers, invest 2 billion dollars in homeless prevention and rapid rehousing, and invest 10 billion dollars in the National Housing Trust Fund.

The NLIHC believes a similar investment in the Trust Fund will allow the nation to rehabilitate or build 100,000 rental homes for the lowest income households using green standards over the next two years.

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To create more affordable housing, the NLIHC recommends investing 5 billion dollars in public housing capital funds and 3 billion dollars for the preservation of urban and rural federally assisted housing.

"There certainly is not enough money for public housing," Pelletiere said. "There's this real underinvestment."

The group also recommends 2 billion dollars for relocation and temporary housing assistance for tenants who are evicted from homes that are foreclosed upon.

"We've been pushing very hard to get extra funding for those federal programmes," Pelletiere said. "The moment someone is destabilised in their home and turned out... if we can avoid that or give sufficient notice, that's going to lessen the damage significantly."

[applegrove]

1. I am glad they are reacting to the situation now while something still can be done

to help people. Hope the message gets out.

[balantz]

2. Kick

[hay rick]

3. Peopleless houses

The increase in homelessness is being matched if not exceeded by a rapid increase in houses that stand vacant and unsold after foreclosure. If there was a real will to do anything at all about homelessness it would be a trivial exercise to match up the homeless with vacant homes- at least until the homes can be sold.

[Hestia]

4. Or reenact the Homesteading Laws of the past and allow those people

to have the vacant houses, as along as they keep them in good order. I like what that group is doing in Florida. Just moving the homeless into the vacant houses. It gives the families shelter, the utilities are on, and they are upkeeping the homes. They should just give the houses to them.

[TBF]

5. K&R n/t