Goal to end homelessness in DeKalb met with skepticism
November 19, 2007
A national goal to end homelessness is met with some skepticism in DeKalb County.
Alphonso Jackson, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) secretary, recently announced a 12 percent decrease in the number of chronically homeless nationwide.
HUD’s research found that more than 20,000 individuals moved off the streets and into transitional housing between 2005 and 2006.
The plan is to eventually end all chronic homelessness.
The Housing Authority of DeKalb County works with the Continuum of Care, a division of HUD which provides shelters and programs with federal grants.
DeKalb Community Services Planner Sue Guio is skeptical of the announcement to end homelessness.
“It probably won’t happen,” Guio said. “There are just some individuals who won’t be willing to take advantage of the programs and services. If you give them the choice between drinking and staying in a shelter, they’re going to drink.”
Lisa Seymour, transitional coordinator at Hope Haven in DeKalb, agrees that ending homelessness is a daunting task.
“I would say, technically for that to happen, the economy all over the nation would have to get better, not just in DeKalb,” Seymour said. “We need jobs and money. I would like to say it’s possible, but there’s sometimes just not enough.”
Besides providing shelter from the elements, Hope Haven offers case management and classes dealing with communication skills and budget planning.
Each family is dealt with on an individual basis. Hope Haven’s transitional center can help up to 12 families at any given time.
While the actual number of homeless in the DeKalb area varies, Guio estimated it at approximately 100 who are considered homeless but are living in a shelter or transitional housing. Another 24 individuals are known who are not living in a shelter, some of whom seek refuge in their cars.
According to Guio, the county housing authority has helped 26 individuals who were homeless in 2003 into permanent housing, where they are still living.
In addition to those struggling financially or with substance abuse, women and children on the run from abusive households are also considered homeless.
Safe Passage, a local domestic violence shelter, also has two types of shelters.
The emergency shelter provides immediate relief, and if they need to, the families may apply for one of the six transitional apartments Safe Passage manages.
From 2005 to 2006, Safe Passage averaged 206 domestic abuse clients and 40 sexual assault clients each month.
“We’ve got 25 beds here,” said Cynthia Folgate, community resources director at Safe Passage. “Aurora has 40 at their emergency shelter. We’re a smaller city, so we think we’re providing a good service for these women.”
In regard to Jackson’s goal to end homelessness, Folgate said, “That will cost a lot of money.”
On a local scale, Guio believes the county is greatly helping the homeless to the best of its abilities.
DeKalb County receives a grant from HUD each year made out for no less than $500,000 to use for homeless assistance. Despite this, Guio believes much of the problem is financial.
“Every dollar we use is a dollar taken away from something else locally or a tax dollar that needs to be raised,” Guio said. “If HUD can come up with a way to get us greater funding in the future, we’ll see what we can do about the [homeless] problem then.”
Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development released a report that sought to measure the scope of homelessness in the U.S. for the first time since 1984.
According to data from 3,900 cities and counties across the country, HUD found that more than 1,500 communities reported a reduction in the number of long-term homeless persons over a one-year period. HUD’s analysis indicates there were 155,623 chronically homeless individuals in 2006, down from 175,914 from the year before – an 11.5 percent decrease.
Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Web site: