State of Homelessness in Guilford County: March 2010

PRESS RELEASE

Jehan Benton-Clark
For Immediate Release
336.553.2715 (O)
336.215.1295 (M)
Jehan@PartnersEndingHomelessness.org

State of Homelessness in Guilford County

Guilford County, NC—March 22, 2010– Homelessness has become a national issue of significant proportion with over 300 cities and counties across the country implementing plans to address this human tragedy.  In Guilford County, the Partners Ending Homelessness Initiative focuses on actively implementing, evaluating and updating Guilford County’s Ten Year Plan which is aimed at improving the quality of life for all residents of Guilford County by ending chronic homelessness and reducing all types of homelessness by 2016. The Partners Ending Homelessness Initiative focuses on generating housing and strengthening prevention & supportive services.

Homelessness is defined by the US Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) as a person sleeping in a place not meant for human habitation (e.g., living on the streets, or residing in an emergency shelter, or transitional housing) while, chronic homelessness is defined as an individual with a disabling condition who has either been continuously homeless for a year or more, or has had at least four episodes of homelessness in the past three years.

Three methods of data collection are used to gain an accurate picture of homelessness trends and the people experiencing homelessness over time in Guilford County. These methods include an annual Point in Time Count, an annual local school system count, and information and data collected by the State of North Carolina’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS).

Point in Time counts, conducted annually across the nation, are designed to collect data on the number of individuals and families experiencing homelessness on any given night. The information collected provides a snapshot of unduplicated sheltered and unsheltered individuals and families experiencing homelessness as defined by HUD. On Wednesday, January 27^th the Homeless Prevention Coalition of Guilford County conducted Guilford County’s Annual Point in Time Count. The survey included only individuals willing to answer questions about their living status within a single 24 hour time period.  Every individual or family experiencing homelessness are not included as some refuse to participate, avoid the survey, or are not found within the 24 hour time period. The 2010 Point in Time Count reveals that 1,064 individuals experience homelessness on any given night and 131 of those individuals are experiencing chronic homelessness. This year’s snap shot shows increases in homeless veterans, domestic violence victims, and homeless children, with a 55% increase in the number of Veterans living on the street or in emergency shelters, a 31% increase in the number of domestic violence victims who are experiencing homelessness (with 40% of those victims being male), and an 8% rise in the number of homeless children.

The Guilford County School System reports data annually on the number of children experiencing homelessness over the course of the school year. This data, based on the US Department of Education’s definition of homelessness, includes children and youth who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations. During the 2008-2009 school year the Guilford County School system reported 1,585 children experiencing homelessness over the course of the school year. In addition, to the 2008-2009 school year count, on Wednesday, January 27, 2010 Guilford County Schools conducted an additional count to help provide a snapshot, with a total of 1,230 children experiencing homelessness on that day.

HMIS, a software application that records and stores unduplicated counts of client-level information on the characteristics and service needs of homeless persons. The Carolina Homeless Information Network manages North Carolina’s HMIS system. It is used by homeless assistance providers to coordinate care, manage their operations, and better serve their clients. Aggregated data in the system gives insights into the extent and nature of homelessness over time. Data collected in the HMIS system reflects that Guilford County had over 4,770 individuals and families who experienced homelessness over the course of the year in 2009.

Guilford County has made many strides over the past three years to address the issue of homelessness, however the economic downturn and housing crisis has disrupted the stability of many people. The challenges of living without permanent shelter are great and all the more heartbreaking when children, veterans and victims of Domestic violence are involved. The three pronged approach to data collection used in Guilford County reveals only a glimpse of the problem. It does not include the many people surviving outside of the system who are imminently homeless or precariously housed.

Unemployment and underemployment are the top reasons people in Guilford County experience homelessness, according to this data. Respondents state that jobs, affordable housing, shelter and healthcare are the most important community services needed in Guilford County. Families and individuals experiencing homelessness are not the only ones harmed by this situation. Guilford County citizens and the economy as a whole are impacted as well. It is essential that all groups pool their resources and coordinate efforts by strengthening existing partnerships and creating new ones. Our community has great needs, but through your support of the Partners Ending Homelessness Initiative we can help …connect…support ….and restore lives. We know that Time Counts and that with your help, together we can ensure that Guilford County will be a community that ends homelessness.

About the Partners Ending Homelessness Initiative

The Partners Ending Homelessness Initiative works to encourage public understanding of the causes and conditions of homelessness and lead a strong and stable system of care for individuals and families to reduce homelessness in Guilford County. For more information, please visit www.PartnersEndingHomelessness.org. Partners Ending Homelessness can be contacted at 336.553.2715 or by email at info@PartnersEndingHomelessness.org

About the Homeless Prevention Coalition

The Homeless Prevention Coalition is a diverse, community-based coalition working to end homelessness in Guilford County through advocacy, information, funding, and networking. For more information on the members of the Homeless Prevention Coalition, please visit http://www.hpcgc.org. For more information about the 2010 Point in Time Count contact Shanna Reece, Executive Director, The Servant Center at 336.275.8585 or shannareece@theservantcenter.org, or Steve Key, Executive Director, Open Door Ministries, at 336.885.0191 or skey@odm-hp.org.

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