PIT 2018:  Increased emergency usage keeps count totals stagnant

Data released from HUD show an uptick in persons living in emergency shelters that prevented any significant decreases in homeless counts and pushed the overall count up 0.3% to 552,850 from 550,996 in 2018.  New closures of transitional housing facilities helped decrease persons defined as homeless and living in these facilities by 16,263 which countered nearly all of the 17,613 increase in shelter counts of those in emergency shelters and living unsheltered.  Unsheltered homelessness was virtually unchanged with the reported 2% increase driven by temporary hurricane-related housing for displaced residents in several states and Puerto Rico that fell under the technical definition of homelessness.

The NHIP completed a Comparison of Changes in Key PIT Estimates (emergency, transitional, unsheltered) from 2017 to 2018 for each CoC from the data publicly posted on the HUD website.  CoCs with the biggest emergency shelter increases included:

1. New York City (+2,582) - NYC has a law requiring the provision of housing to persons in need
2. Chicago (+1,743) - Chicago appears to have reclassified much of its transitional housing as emergency housing since their overall shelter capacity remained virtually identical.
3. Springfield/Hampden County (+1,1,07) - Hampden's ES total includes approximately 1,000 persons living in hotels displaced by Hurricane Maria.
4. Connecticut Balance of State (+622)
5. Lynn MA (+469)
6. Monroe County FA (+442)
7. San Diego (+376)
8. Fort Pierce/St. Lucie, FA (+350)

Reductions in Transitional Housing help moderate rise in homelessness

The number of individuals counted in transitional housing facilities defined as homeless by the federal government dropped 17% from 96,974 in 2017 to 80,711 in 2018.  This drop occurred due to the continued closing of transitional facilities which are no longer prioritized to receive HUD homeless assistance.  Transitional housing counts peaked in 2010-2011 when over 200,000 transitional beds were in usage throughout the country.  Continuums with large transitional populations include Los Angeles (3,522), New York City (2,742), Seattle (2,166), San Diego (1,574), Phoenix (1,555), Denver (1,413), State of Maine (1,391) and Honolulu/Oahu (1,307).

Hawaii allocates $17 million for Ohana zones for non-Ohana zone projects

Hawaii Governor Ige announced plans to use $17 million in funds appropriated for ohana zones  for non-Ohana zone projects in Oahu with the bulk of the funds supporting existing transitional housing projects including $7.5 million in funding to operate an 80-unit facility that was recently closed due to lease termination by Hawaiian Home Lands.  The transitional facility will be "converted" into 48 permanent units and 32 emergency units. Gov Ige has been an opponent of encampment-like Ohana zones. 

The community living at the Waianae Boat Harbor has been asking for an area of land where they can relocate, if the City or State wants to remove them from the Boat Harbor where many have lived for 10 years or longer.. The 250+ residents would best be described as illegal campers or squatters, not homeless, although their numbers are included in the unsheltered count. The Honolulu CoC has the 10th largest inventory of transitional housing units in the country with  (Note: 'Ohana means family in the Hawaiian Language).

 

No More Sad Pics of Homelessness, Please

In recent publications produced by HUD/ABT, the use of pictures depicting people experiencing homelessness as uniformly sad, lonely, inactive, vulnerable and often dirty reinforces an inaccurate stereotype especially when you consider that two-thirds of persons are living in housing with the vast majority of both adults and children engaging in activities including school, work, making food, friendly conversation, attending skills classes and just living like everyone else. For many persons enrolled in homeless programs, their emotional lives are no different than most people.  For people with serious mental illness, living in a congregate shelter is generally the least of their problems.

At the same time, excluded from pictures are some of the most difficult persons who tend to live unsheltered who may have 4 or more shopping carts full of stuff or might be seen shouting on the sidewalks or in the middle of the road.  Some walk around without proper clothes.  Where are these pictures?

Maybe HUD and ABT and the USICH and the rest of the homeless powers that be should just refrain from any pictures - especially since they make a document that might only be 3 GB as big as 20 GB or more, causing more stress on  email servers and hard drives.  

Have a Nice Day -
The NHIP