Numbers of chronically homeless decline

The number of people nationally who are chronically homeless dropped by nearly 12 percent from 2005 to 2006, according to government estimates released Wednesday.

In Cape Girardeau, the numbers of the chronically homeless -- those who are forced to habitually seek emergency shelter -- have declined, too, but the overall homeless population continues to rise, according to Tina Rodgers, a caseworker for the Salvation Army.

Only about 15 people in Cape Girardeau in both 2006 and 2007 would qualify as chronically homeless, much less than in previous years, although exact figures were not available, she said.

In 2006, from January through the first of November, there were about 1,265 homeless overall in Cape Girardeau, and 1,451 in 2007 for the same months.

Nationally, the Department of Housing and Urban Development credited government programs designed to move homeless people into permanent housing for the declined of the chronic homeless problem.

"HUD and local communities are increasingly providing permanent housing solutions and breaking a vicious cycle of homelessness for those who have lived on the streets as a way of life," HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson said in a statement.

According to Rodgers, people are chronically homeless if they have been continuously living on the streets for a year or more.

"Chronic homelessness has never presented a major problem in Cape Girardeau," said Denis Rigdon, executive director of the social ministry Project Hope.

"It's a whole lot worse in metropolitan areas."

Many local families are still willing to take in homeless friends and neighbors, Rigdon said, curtailing what may have the potential to become a larger problem.

He cited several volunteers with Project Hope's mentoring program who offered their basements as a safe place for people to stay.

The shelter in Jackson takes in about 2,000 people a year, Rigdon said.

Mental illness, physical disabilities and substance abuse problems are the biggest contributors of the chronic homeless problem, Rigdon said.

Across the nation, the number of chronically homeless people dropped from 175,900 in 2005 to 155,600 in 2006, according to data collected by HUD from about 3,900 cities and counties.

The estimated figures for all homeless people, including the chronically homeless, was 754,000 people on a given night in January 2005. The overall estimate for 2006 is expected early next year.

"In the past few years, there has been a significant investment in ending chronic homelessness, both in time and resources," said Mary Cunningham, director of the Homelessness Research Institute at the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

HUD has been shifting resources from emergency shelters to transitional and permanent housing for years. The number of emergency shelter beds dropped by 35 percent from 1996 to 2005, to 217,900, while the number of beds in permanent housing for the homeless increased by 83 percent, to 208,700.

In an effort to aid with the homeless problem, the Pi Kappa Alpha and Alpha Chi Omega organizations in Cape Girardeau hope to raise $1,000 for the Salvation Army this year at their annual "Homeless in the Park" community service event. Last year, the event raised $500. Organizers hope to double the quantity of canned goods and clothing donated.

The event will be held from 10 a.m. Saturday to 10 a.m. Sunday at Capaha Park, Shelter 2. Anyone interested in donating may contact Ben Menke at 636-485-1244 or drop off a donation at Capaha Park.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

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