PINELLAS COUNTY – The Pinellas County Coalition for the Homeless Inc. said homelessness in the county has increased by a startling 20 percent over the last year.
A coalition survey completed in January reflecting trends during 2008 shows a total homeless population of 6,235 men, women and children, as opposed to 5,195 since the last survey reflecting 2007 statistics.
There was an 82.7 percent increase in unsheltered homeless individuals and families, and a startling 108 percent increase in unsheltered and sheltered children under the age of 18 years.
The survey indicates that St. Petersburg has the largest homeless population at 45.8 percent with Clearwater second at 10.3 percent.
The Pinellas Park-Lealman area comes in third at 5.5 percent. Largo comes in a close third at 5.4 percent. St. Pete Beach and Treasure Island came in at slightly over 1 percent, with all other municipalities below 1 percent.
The primary reasons for homelessness include 86.3 percent for loss of income, jobs and other financial reasons; 22.6 percent due to alcohol and drug abuse, 18.6 percent due to eviction or foreclosure, 21.8 percent due to family break-up, and almost 30 percent due to emotional problems, releases from jail or prison, and domestic violence.
Lisa Jackson, coalition president, said officials knew that the poor economy was having a major impact on the numbers of homeless persons in Pinellas County.
“The results of the survey demonstrate factually how large the increase has been,” Jackson said.
The latest survey was billed by the coalition as the most comprehensive homeless count ever conducted. More than 400 volunteers and representatives of service providers participated in the event.
More than 31 percent of the homeless have been on the streets for three months to one year, as opposed to 10.7 percent when the last survey was taken.
The survey indicates a significant increase in youth homelessness, up from 18.1 percent for ages 1 to 17 years to 31.5 percent this year. The homeless population for persons ages 18 to 64 years dropped from 73.8 percent in 2007 to 65 percent in 2008.
Despite the general belief that many or most homeless people are military veterans, only 18.2 percent actually served in the armed forces. Disabilities of homeless persons include alcohol and drug abuse, HIV/AIDS and mental health and emotional problems.
“We worked diligently to ensure that persons were not counted more than one time,” Jackson said. “Homeless individuals and families were found throughout the county, from the southern areas to north Tarpon Springs.”
Street people were discovered living on the street, in cars and abandoned buildings, in camps along railroad tracks and close to the Pinellas Trail, and at emergency shelters and transitional housing facilities such as Pinellas Hope in Pinellas Park.
What concerns officials is that the number of homeless individuals and families are much larger than ever before and for a variety of reasons.
“As the most comprehensive count we have conducted, we were able to find homeless persons uncounted previously,” Jackson said.
Jackson didn’t mince words when it comes to the spiraling economy.
“The large increase in numbers has been caused by the dramatic economic downturn we continue to experience,” Jackson said. “Individuals and families that were barely maintaining housing a year or two ago are now unable to do so.”
Indeed, thousands of people have lost their jobs and that has led to loss of rental or owned housing. Many households also lost their rental housing due to foreclosures of their landlords.
“We also have more comprehensive homeless youth numbers from the Pinellas County School System,” Jackson said.
Jackson said homelessness has increased for both individuals and families, across all age groups, and especially for children.
The Rev. Lionel Cabral, executive director of the Suncoast Haven of Rest Rescue Mission in Pinellas Park, said he has seen a marked increase in homelessness in the last year or two.
“The clear and plain truth is that no one wants to confess to an existing depression, not a recession, a depression,” Cabral said. “The United States and the world at large is in an ever deepening depression.”
Cabral said the financial crisis causing social consequences are beyond imagination. His mission is providing more than 15,000 meals or meal equivalencies each month.
“The demand is increasing while the food supply is dwindling,” Cabral said. “The worst case scenario brings to mind more lawlessness caused by people desperately intent upon saving their children from starvation and even death.”
Indeed, some police agencies point to an increase in burglaries, robberies and other crimes. Some offenders have clean backgrounds, causing law enforcement officials to determine that some crimes are, indeed, being committed out of desperation.
Officer Steve Vangelli of the Pinellas Park homeless outreach team just recently reported that he is finding more families out in the streets. In one case a woman and her three children were living in a car.
