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Why
are there so many homeless families? The number of homeless families with children has increased over the past decade and families with dependent children are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population. According to the Housing and Urban Dement's (HUD) yearly report on Homelessness, 34% of the individuals receiving homeless services are members of a family with dependent children. According to the 1999 HUD report on Homelessness, homeless family households reported a mean monthly income of $475 (for the 30 days prior to being questioned). This amount is only 46% of the 1996 federal poverty level of $1,023 a month for a family of three. As welfare reforms are enacted, fewer people are receiving government benefits. However, this does not mean that these people are employed or are fairing better economically. Some early findings suggest that while more families are moving from welfare to work, many of them are fairing poorly due to low wages and inadequate work supports. Many of these new jobs pay far below the poverty line. Extreme poverty is increasing for children, especially those in female-headed and working families. Due to the loss of benefits and unstable or low paying employment, many of these families struggle to get healthcare, food and housing. Housing is most times not affordable for families leaving welfare for low paying jobs and when subsidized housing is limited. How does homelessness affect children? Homeless children face significant barriers to receiving the same public education as their non-homeless peers. As many as one third of homeless children may not be attending school on a regular basis (US Department of Education, 1992). Children who are homeless with their family members often suffer not only disruption in their education, but serious emotional and developmental problems that can persist long after their families find permanent housing. African American children use shelters at the highest rate of any group (Culhane et al., 1993) What is the situation really like for homeless people here in San Francisco? In 1999, 159 homeless people died in San Francisco, the largest number of deaths since this information has been recorded. Within the City there are only about 1,400 shelter beds serving those in need. In 1999, when the Section 8 waiting list reopened there were 38,000 applicants. Of these, 10,000 families met the eligibility criteria to be on the list. The average wait for a Section 8 voucher in San Francisco is 12 months. In December of 1998 San Francisco passed a "No Turn-Away Policy" for homeless families. As of March 1999, 105 families are on the waiting list for emergency shelter. With a housing vacancy rate of 1%, San Francisco has one of the tightest housing markets in the nation. San Francisco also has the highest rents in the country. A San Francisco Family on TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) receives $611 a month. The market rent for a two-bedroom apartment is $2,000 a month. According to the 1999 Status Report on Hunger and Homelessness, San Francisco anticipates the number of requests for emergency food and shelter to increase in 2000. In the Spring of 2000 the first 1,000 families will come off Calworks (State Cash Aid for families). Many of these families will be forced to rely on City services for support while they continue to adjust to the transition from welfare to work. Continued economic growth, coupled with a reduction in the City's housing stock will result in an increased demand for public assistance. Though families and single adults are moving out of homelessness, they are quickly replaced by others seeking assistance and shelter. |
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San Francisco Coalition
on Homelessness Bay Area Homeless Program Helplink Poor Magazine Mayors Office on Housing SF Bay Guardian, The
Guardian Index: Poverty In San Francisco Food Not Bombs National Coalition On
Homelessness |
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Lament
Of A Homeless Woman Waking In A Shelter I lie
here thinking oh how I'd love
to sleep till noon, till nine even. Yet, I must get up now, and quickly. But, oh, how I'd love to sleep till noon, till nine even. I have no choice, tis what I must do, it's Saturday – still I must go. Get up. Walk. Occasionally sit till someone says "Move, you can't camp here." Aren't the parks to sit and relax in? Aren't they? Oh, if I could sleep till noon, till nine even. I'd like to spread a blanket, watch the children play, feed the pigeons. But they always say, "Move on! You can't camp here!" The rules are different for us. There's no time to shed a tear. For you see, I carry the tell-tale bags of the homeless - you can spot us very easily. We wear many layers - if it gets colder or warmer, we must add or remove clothes. Our bags carry our excess. And sometimes we carry all that we own in those bags. Our bags carry our excess. And sometimes we carry all that we own in those bags. I don't yet push a cart. The ones that do, they're a part of me, they're in my heart. For me, there's still hope. That's what keeps me going - that hope. Is it too much too ask? A job, a room of my own somewhere? Maybe tomorrow, maybe next week. I lie here thinking, if I could sleep till noon, till nine even. Is it too much to ask? I lie here thinking. Originally Published in Street Sheet a Publication of The Coalition On Homelessness S.F. Back To Top |
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