Family Homelessness Increasing Across The Country

Not only New York City is confronting increasing homeless families, so is the city of San Francisco. The SF Chronicle is reporting that families in this west coast city are also falling prey to foreclosures, unemployment, and the increasing cost of living.

Shelter demand has increased by 40 percent, and the waiting list for families needing shelter has doubled.

The article says:

At the same time, shelter reservation sites have reported as much as a 40 percent increase in the newly homeless, said Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness. The growing demand for fewer available beds has created "a crisis in the emergency homeless services system," she said.

The waiting list for families seeking shelter has doubled since this time last year, reaching four months even for those with medical problems, Friedenbach said. A recent spot check at drop-in centers found that 2 out of 3 people were being turned away.

There has become a reversal of fortune after cities across the country were reporting in the past few years a decrease in homelessness. That trend seems to either have been halted, or was simply a marketing message. Whatever the truth may be, we know that homelessness is increasing now.

(Pic from http://static.howstuffworks.com)