Survey: Homeless numbers have risen
Hurricane evacuees swell count, but more people also found living on streets, in cars and shelters
Thursday, February 16,
2006
By GUY BUSBY
Mobile (AL) Register Staff Reporter
Hurricane Katrina drove up the number of homeless in Baldwin,
with victims not only living in shelters and hotels, but also
on streets and backroads of the county, according to survey
results announced this week.
A survey of homeless people in Baldwin found that 117 people
were either living on the streets or in shelters and another
578 evacuees were displaced by Hurricane Katrina, said Dan
Williams, executive director of the Homeless Coalition of the
Gulf Coast.
"It (survey results) was really hard this year because
of the hurricane homeless," Williams said. "We had
to separate out who was here because of the storm and who
didn't have shelter for other reasons, but the numbers were
up and Katrina contributed to that."
Eight teams of three volunteers each went across Baldwin
County on Jan. 26 as part of a national study on
homelessness, said Williams. The survey found 117 people in
Baldwin who fit the official designation of homelessness. The
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development defines
being homeless as people who have no place to stay other than
on the street or in shelters.
Williams said information from Baldwin County and Mobile will
be used by area officials and relief agencies to apply for
grants to help homeless families and individuals. Results of
the national survey are expected to be released in coming
weeks, he said.
The local survey also found, however, hundreds more people in
Baldwin displaced by Hurricane Katrina, Williams said. In the
county, 211 people were staying in 90 trailers supplied by
the Federal Emergency Management Agency, he said. Another 367
people were staying in 157 hotel rooms and condominiums paid
for by FEMA, the survey found.
The study, known as a "point in time" survey, was
intended to determine the number and location of homeless
people on a specific date, Williams said. He said that since
FEMA stopped paying some hotel bills after Feb. 7, the number
of evacuees in hotels has changed since the survey was taken.
"We're seeing people coming to us now for help after
FEMA stopped paying," he said. "They're being told
that they can come to us."
Jennifer Carson of Catholic Social Services in Robertsdale
said some evacuees staying in local hotels have contacted her
office seeking information, but that no requests for
assistance have been received.. She said some evacuees who
might have rent payments stopped next week told her they
might need help at that time.
Williams said the number of Baldwin evacuees is more than the
survey results found. He said that under HUD guidelines,
volunteers cannot count people who are "doubling
up" by staying with friends, family members or others
offering shelter in private homes or facilities.
He said the number of evacuee children in county schools
shows that more victims are in the area who have not been
counted.
"In public schools right now are 255 children who were
enrolled who are classified as evacuees," he said.
"The studies we've seen show that 26 percent of the
homeless population is children."
Using the survey averages, if 255 children are 26 percent of
the total evacuee population, the number of people displaced
by Katrina who are still in Baldwin would be about 1,000.
The study found 57 of the 117 homeless found in the survey
were classified as unsheltered, living on the street, in cars
or not having a fixed residence, Williams said.
"That's up a lot from last year," he said. "We
found one, but we've never done this extensive a survey
before."
He said some of the unsheltered in Baldwin were also evacuees
whose homes had been damaged or destroyed by Hurricane
Katrina.
Williams said the other 60 people in the homeless count were
also classified as sheltered, living in homes for displaced
domestic abuse victims, church shelters or similar programs.
The total of 117 for Baldwin County will be used in applying
for future grants for homeless programs though HUD or other
agencies, Williams said.
Connie Plemmons of Catholic Social Services, who organized
the survey teams, said volunteers found 18 homeless people on
the streets of Baldwin during the study.
"That's pretty surprising to find on the streets,"
she said. "We only had one homeless person the year
before, but this was the most thorough one we've been able to
do."
Plemmons said Baldwin County's size makes a one-day survey
difficult. Team members went to their assigned areas and
asked residents, business employees and officials if they
knew of homeless people in the area, according to reports
from planning sessions for the survey.