Of the statistics regarding persistent homelessness, the one that has alarmed authorities the most is the number of children who have no place to live.
Last week, the DuPage Homeless Continuum released its first Report Card on Homelessness. People working to eliminate homelessness will use this report in coming years to chart how the situation has changed.
Last year, 368 children younger than 18 were listed as homeless in DuPage County, with 169 of them younger than 5, according to the report. There were 683 men and 554 women who were homeless in DuPage County.
Carol Simler, executive director of DuPage Public Action to Deliver Shelter, said the rising number of homeless children throughout the nation is a cause for great concern. Moving from place to place for shelter will undoubtedly affect children at a time when they need stability the most, she said.
Groups in Cook and Kane counties are also dismayed with how the economy is affecting people’s ability to make ends meet. Last year, about $2.2 million was awarded in Kane County through Homeless Prevention and Rapid Rehousing grants.
Last year’s Homeless Count in Suburban Cook County, released by the Alliance to End Homelessness in Suburban Cook County, documents various categories of homeless people by region. In the western suburbs, there were 265 sheltered homeless in 2009, compared with 144 in 2007. The report also lists 57 chronically sheltered people in the west region, compared with 35 in 2007.
Last year, 74 people in the western suburbs were listed as unsheltered homeless, compared with 52 in 2007. The number of chronically unsheltered people in the west region rose to 35 in 2009 from 13 in 2007.
Children younger than 18 made up 32 percent of the homeless sheltered and 6 percent of the unsheltered homeless, the report said.
These numbers paint a bleak picture and deserve serious consideration. A concerted effort must be made by entire communities to provide the resources necessary to keep families with children from having to live on the street.
Jerry Moore is the opinions editor for Suburban Life Publications. Contact him at (630) 368-8930 or jmoore@mysuburbanlife.com. His blog, Suburban Shoutout, can be found at blogs.mysuburbanlife.com/jerry-moore.
