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In Us, Homelessness Grows As Families Join The Ranks |
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Thursday, 23 July 2009The number of homeless families is on the rise across the United States.
A Homeless woman sitting in a parkOne of the areas with the biggest increase is Washington D.C., the nation's capital.
Overthe last year a regional government planning agency says the number ofhomeless families increased by 15 % in the DC area, the biggest jump inyears.
Many experts blame the nation's economic downturn as well as a local high cost of living.
Themost visible of the homeless: older single men and women who refuse tostay in shelters. They pass the day in public parks and on streetcorners.
Single mother Monica Walker picks her children up attheir Washington school. This family is among the fastest growinggroup of the area's homeless.
Monica Walker and her four kids have been homeless for two years.
Walkerexplains, "I had nowhere go so I was declared homeless, nowhere for mykids to go and I needed help and I knew I needed help."
Monica Walker taking care of her kidsIn 2007, Monica lost her job and her apartment to a drug addiction.
Now she has picked up the pieces and lives one Community of Hope's transitional apartments.
"Ihave something that I can call mine now. Even though it's transitionalshelter but I can actually say to my kids, 'ok let's go home,” exclaimsWalker.
The local non-profit organization also helped get Monicatreatment for her addiction. Soon, her family will move into their ownthree bedroom house in Washington.
"In a shelter, you can spendyour money and you are broke and you are living basically day by day.This program helps you to live independently and shows you how you cansave your money," declares Walker.
Kelly Sweeney-McShane isExecutive Director of Community of Hope. She says at any given time,there are 200 to 300 families ready to move into transitional housing.
Thereal solution, she says, is to provide permanent homes. Sweeney-McShane explains, “When they are in those apartments, then theyare much more open to getting assistance with whether there are mentalhealth issues or their children have problems in school or substanceabuse issues. But that's a better place to provide those services thanin a group shelter."
Donna Matthews and her child in their apartmentMichael O'Rourke runs a homeless shelter inArlington, Virginia, a Washington suburb that has seen a 25% increasein homeless families. There are 10 apartments here and he says localorganization also provides residents here with courses that teach themhow to live independently.
O’Rourke says, "They move into our"adopt-a-family" program where the rent is subsidized for up to twoyears through HUD grants, and they are able to accumulate some wealth and continue to developthe life skills, the business skills, the job skills they need to moveinto independence."
In Washington, Donna Matthews is consideredone of the success stories. She and her son Jalen now live in a twobedroom apartment, subsidized by the DC organization.
Matthewshumbly says, "Now I managed to have money saved up, my son is inprivate school. Today I am able to go to sleep and have food in myrefrigerator. To me this is just like a palace, my palace and my son'spalace."
Donna says she is on her to way to a new life. InSeptember, she plans to study to become an event planner. She says shewill never be homeless again.
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Thursday, 23 July 2009
VOA News
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