The end may be in sight

Is it possible to eliminate homelessness? The DuPage Homeless Continuum of Care thinks it is.
They have a plan to end homelessness in DuPage by 2010.

Bridge Communities (the organization that sponsors Sleep Out Saturday) is hoping to play a major role in helping the Continuum to reach this goal. Last year, Bridge provided 65,000 shelter nights to homeless families (One shelter night is housing for one person for one night). But it's not just a roof--Bridge prides itself on being a 2 year transitional housing program. So in addition to providing housing, Bridge offers clients a variety of supportive services. Each family meets weekly with a team of trained mentors who help clients with budgeting and other issues. Bridge also offers tutoring (for children and adults), job training, employment counseling, and case management services. The goal is for clients to reach self-sufficiency by the end of the 2 years.

Bridge partners with dozens of local churches and community groups who are seeking to help homeless families. Through the Continuum, Bridge also partners with organizations all around the county—including PADS, Catholic Charities, the Community Housing Association of DuPage, DuPage Habitat for Humanity, Outreach Community Ministries, and Family Shelter Service (and countless more! Check out the list on the Contiuum’s website to see them all) in an effort to end homelessness.

The task may seem daunting, but recent history offers hope. On Easter morning 2000, The Sumter County Initiative (Sumter County, GA) announced that it had provided housing for every resident in the county. Substandard housing was eliminated and in its place, affordable, decent housing was available to every single individual or family in need. This accomplishment can’t be credited to a lone group—it was achieved through the partnership of nonprofit groups, government agencies, and local corporate, churches, and individual sponsors. Looks like DuPage County is on the right track.

Moving Day

Have you ever moved?

I moved from California to Illinois when I was 5 years old. I did not transition well. For at least 3 years when people would ask me where I lived, I would say, "Well...I'm from California, but we're just living in Illinois for a while." I didn't actually hate my new school, or my friends, or my house. I just hated the idea of moving, of leaving friends, of living in a new place. Even in college, when I moved to a different room every year, it took me at least a month to set it up. By the end of the year, the new room finally had started feeling like "home." And then it was time to pack up and move out.

Most of us have moved at least once. It's stressful, right? The packing, the unpacking, the getting settled, making new friends, starting a new schedule.

Homeless families are on the move almost every day. If you are living in your car, you may have a place to keep your stuff, and you know you can sleep in it...but where are you going to park? What about tomorrow? Where are you going to shower? Where are you going to do your homework.

The National Center on Family Homelessness has studied how homelessness uniquely affects families. Here's what they found:

Families with children are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population.

Every year 1.35 million children experience homelessness.
They will move. Often as many as 3 times. 68% of those children will attend two or more schools.
They will be held back. 35% of those children will repeat a grade because of frequent absences or changing schools (compared to 10% of other children).
They will get sick. They will have twice as many ear infections, four times as many asthma attacks, five times more stomach problems, and six times as many speech problems.
They will experience violence. 25% will witness acts of violence within their own family.
They will wake up every day and worry about where they will go the next night. They will be hungry sometimes and not know where their next meal will come from.

I don't want this to be just another list of depressing statistics. I do want this list to be help people understand the breadth of the problem of homelessness in 2006. This year the theme of Sleep Out Saturday is "How Homelessness Impacts Children and Youth." Homeless families are a lot less visible than the homeless guy you pass on the street everyday—but it doesn’t mean they aren’t there.

107 hours per week

107 hours per week. That's how much you would have to work at a minimum wage job to afford a two-bedroom apartment in DuPage County. There are only 168 hours in a week.

Or look at in another way: the "Housing Wage" in DuPage is $17.33/hour. You have to be making $17.33 an hour to afford a two-bedrooom apartment. Housing is considered "affordable" if it costs no more than 30% of the renter's income.

How realistic is it to make $17.33 an hour? As a recent college grad, I know that most of my friends are making less than $17.33/hour. Which is fine for us right now--we can share apartments, we don't have children to support, and worst case scenario--we can always take out a "parent loan." But what if I was a single mom? If I can't find a job making $17.33/hour with a college degree (and the support of a full-time career office)...how much harder is it for someone who didn't have the chance to go to college? Or who was forced to drop out of high school? Or who isn't fluent in English?

The National Alliance to End Homelessness breaks the problem of homelessness down to a few key causes. First, there is not enough afforadable housing. Second, many people have incomes that are too low to pay for basic living expenses. Finally, it is hard for people to access resources that would allow them to live independently.

DuPage County is one of the wealthiest counties in the country. But high housing costs make it difficult for even families who earn the median income to afford housing. What about all the households who make less than the $72,400 median?

About this blog

Welcome to the SOS blog! We're hoping this will be another resource your group can use in planning the event. I will post at least once a week (probably on Wednesdays) with some ideas on how to promote Sleep Out with your group or to answer common questions. Please continue to contact me with questions and concerns!