Fast virus surge, slow gov’t make homelessness worse

 

Bill Knight column for 11-30, 12-1 or 2, 2020

Cold weather’s coming, along with an annual estimate of homelessness, so advocates for the homeless are preparing for winter – amid the worsening pandemic.

Meanwhile, Illinois’ public health department issued recommendations urging people to stay home, which is literally impossible for those with no home to stay in.

Government aid – most from federal COVID assistance – was helpful, but it’s either gone or runs out this week. The absence of assistance such as the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program and an eviction moratorium, plus questions about the actual extent of the problem, cause concerns.

“The lack of affordable housing and the limited scale of housing-assistance programs has led to high rent burdens, overcrowding and substandard housing, which has not only forced many people to become homeless but has also put a growing number of people at risk,” reports the National Coalition for the Homeless, which blames 1970s and ’80s cuts to affordable-housing programs and inadequate help since.

            Current reality remains unclear. First, the halt to evictions and utility shutoffs was temporary, and advocates fear when the safeguards end, there’ll be a huge jump in homelessness. The eviction moratorium already had unintended consequences, like landlords leery of accepting new tenants because there’s little recourse if renters don’t pay. The result? Empty units but few available to lease.

Also, some see flaws in the yearly Point in Time (PIT) count of the nation’s homeless population. released by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty cites a study using data from homeless service providers that the actual number of homeless individuals is 2.5 to 10.2 times greater than what’s reported by Point In Time counts.

One night last year, 567,715 Americans experienced homelessness, according to HUD’s PIT count. The National Alliance to End Homelessness breaks that down: 171,670 people in families, including children; 396,045 single individuals; 96,141 people chronically homeless; and 37,085 veterans.

Some homeless advocates say scheduling the PIT counts in January depresses the true number since some families let homeless friends or family move in for the winter, but with spring the numbers rise. Counting in July would be more accurate.

The level of the problem, if not precise numbers, is obvious, even as a crisis within a crisis, according to Peggy Bailey and Douglas Rice in a 10-page report from the Center for Housing Policy,

“The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic crisis have brought to light the fundamental role housing plays in people’s lives and the life and death implications when they cannot afford the rent,” they write. “Even before the pandemic, millions of individuals and families were homeless or struggling to pay the rent; the health and economic crises have deepened these problems.”

Policymakers must include comprehensive housing assistance in the next COVID-19 relief package, say Bailey and Rice, who offer other ideas:

* homelessness assistance for state and local agencies to expand safe, non-congregate shelter options, revamp facilities to prevent the virus’ spread, and provide services to help people remain housed,

* remodel existing shelters to improve staffs’ and clients’ ability to socially distance,

* help people experiencing homelessness move from the streets or shelters into safer, non-congregate housing such as temporary lodging in hotels,

* increase outreach to people living on the street to improve access to health care or other support, and

* continue efforts to help individuals and families with children move into more stable, permanent housing.

 

People need places to stay.

THEN they can stay home and be safe.