Changes in Homelessness from 2005 to 2007
NJ Numbers drop; but recession erases the gains
Impact of the Rescission
1.5 million additional Americans could become homeless over the next two years without effective intervention. On average this would be an increase of 75,000 for New Jersey.
Many communities have already seen significant increases in their local homeless population.
Unemployment, poverty and deep poverty rates could reach depths not seen in decades, putting unbearable pressure on local homeless assistance programs.
The New Jersey Advocacy Network to End Homelessness and The National Alliance to End Homelessness calls for $2 Billion for homeless prevention and rapid re-housing; 400,000 additional Section 8 vouchers; and a substantial investment in the National Housing Trust Fund to ameliorate the inevitable effects of the recession and prevent 1.5 million people from becoming homeless in the next two years.
Homelessness Counts:Changes in Homelessness from 2005 to 2007
On January 13, 2009, the Homelessness Research Institute of the National Alliance to End Homelessness released its second Homelessness Counts report. According to the report, New Jersey experienced a 46% decrease in unsheltered homelessness from 2005 to 2007.
To read the full report click here.
To read more about the projected rise in homelessness due to the recession click here.
To read the reports details by CoC’s in New Jersey click here.
To view the maps indicating the change in homelessness and the incidence by state click here.
The following is the press release released by the Advocacy Network.
The report, which contains both state and national data, shows a 10 percent decrease in homelessness in the nation, from 744,313 per night in January 2005 to 671,859 per night in January 2007. This includes a 28 percent decrease in chronic (long-term) homelessness and an 18 percent decrease in family homelessness. While overall homelessness has declined, the picture varied among the states, with 36 percent reporting increases in homelessness and the rest reporting decreases.
New Jersey reported an 11 percent decrease in the total homeless population between 2005 and 2007. During that same time period, there was a 19% decrease in homeless families and a 46% decrease in chronically homeless individuals.
However, many local advocates and service providers fear the national trend may be reversed and blame the current recession and housing foreclosure crisis for more recent increases in homelessness that they have witnessed.
“Ending homelessness is no longer an impossible task it is something we can and must achieve. We have learned from each other what it takes to end homelessness. There are proven strategies that work. They are already being implemented in New Jersey by counties, cities and non-profits that have developed local plans to end homelessness,” said Richard W. Brown, chairperson of the New Jersey Advocacy Network to End Homelessness.
Mr. Brown stressed that “It is imperative that we use the technologies and strategies that we employed to reduce homelessness to address this new wave. The response to recession-related homelessness must not simply be shelters and soup kitchens. Instead, we must employ the tools of prevention, rapid re-housing, and linkage to services that have been proven to work. There is still hope to end homelessness, but not if we flood our towns and cities with millions more homeless people.”
A number of factors contribute to homelessness – lack of income, eviction due to foreclosure, physical health and disability, mental health and trauma, substance abuse, and weak social networks – but a lack of affordable housing, both in New Jersey and across the nation is the primary driver.
“Our hope is that this year the new Administration and Congress will make ending the tragedy of homelessness an important part of their plans for change,” said Nan Roman, President of the National Alliance to End Homelessness. “We encourage them to use the upcoming economic recovery bill to help people who lose their jobs or are evicted as the result of foreclosure to avoid homelessness. Small amounts of money for rent or utilities can help people stay in their homes. Furthermore, investing in affordable housing through initiatives like the National Housing Trust Fund will help ensure that no one is without a home.”
“The New Jersey Advocacy Network to End Homelessness calls on Senators Menendez and Lautenberg as well as all of the members of the House of Representatives to support the Economic Recovery legislation that includes funding to prevent and end homelessness,” said Mr. Brown. “Specifically, the New Jersey Advocacy Network to End Homelessness, we ask them to support, we ask them to support $2 billion for prevention and re-housing, 400,000 new Section 8 vouchers, and $10 billion for the National Housing Trust Fund.”
The 2005 and 2007 estimates are compilations of point-in-time counts collected by local Continuums of Care (CoCs) – the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) defined jurisdictions that oversee homeless services and are required to count their homeless populations every other year on one night in January. As such, the report provides data on CoCs within states as well. Despite limitations, the estimates act as a tool for assessing the progress the nation has made on reducing homelessness. Data for every state and community (CoC) for which data are available, as well as an explanation of the methods used to collect the data, are included in the full report.
