OpEdNews
Original Content at http://www.opednews.com/articles/Homeless-Families-on-the-R-by-Dustin-Ensinger-090708-789.html
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July 9, 2009 Homeless Families on the Rise in Summer By Dustin Ensinger With the U.S. economy mired in the worst recession since the Great
Depression, the number of families living on the streets is on the rise
across America and further straining the budgets of already-strapped
local governments. In New York City, the homeless population increased 20 percent in
the spring compared with the same period last year, according to The New York Times.
Due to that, the city had expected 10,000 families to seek services at
the citys shelters this summer. Already New York City is serving
9,420 families. In Indianas largest county, Marion County, home of Indianapolis,
the number of homeless families has increased 78 percent compared to
last year, according to The Indianapolis Star. According to The Times, the reason that homelessness rises
during the summer months is twofold. One, landlords are less hesitant
to evict renters in the warmer, summer months. Two, parents are more
likely to willingly leave and not fight an eviction during the summer
when their children are no longer attending school. When schools open, families tend to stay where they are, Deronda
Metz, the director of social services for the Salvation Army in
Charlotte, told The Times. And when schools out, theyre told its time to go. The most obvious reason for the increase in homelessness is a lack
of employment. In June, the unemployment rate rose to a 26-year high
of 9.5 percent. The average unemployed worker has been unable to find
a job for an average of 24.5 weeks. In addition, 8.9 million Americans are underemployed, meaning they
are working less hours than they would like to be. Another 2.17
million Americans are discouraged workers, classified as such because
they have given up on looking for work. All told, those numbers would
push the unemployment rate to 16.5 percent if they were included in the
Labor Departments figures. Those most likely to end up living on the streets are low-income
renters. To combat that, former Mayor of New York and Congressman Ed
Koch and ex-White House spokesperson Bob Weiner are advocating that
Congress expand housing with rent caps. "When Congress legislated the Housing and Community Development Act
in 1974, the original bill including the Koch amendment established
that a family should pay no more than 15%-20% of income in federally
assisted housing and that a voucher would cover the difference," Koch
and Weiner wrote in an Op-Ed appearing in the New York Daily News. "Over the years, this successful program has been whittled away by
special interest groups and misdirected priorities. Many families pay
upwards of 40% and 50% of their income because they cannot find an
apartment that meets the established rent cap. The New York City
Housing Authority reports there are 127,825 New York families on the
wait list. It shouldn't surprise us that one very immediate consequence
of all this is homelessness," they wrote. |