Homelessness and hunger on the rise in American cities
Homelessness and hunger increased in an overwhelming majority of 25 U.S. cities in the past year, driven by the foreclosure crisis and rising unemployment, a survey shows.Out of 25 cities across the United States surveyed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, 83% said homelessness in general had increased over the past year while 16 cities, or nearly two-thirds of those polled, cited a rise in the number of families who had been forced out of their homes.
Only four cities -- including Miami -- reported a decrease in the homeless population. The number of homeless families, however, did rise in Miami. Orlando isn't included because the survey was limited to cities whose mayors serve on the U.S. Conference of Mayors Hunger and Homelessness Task Force.
Meanwhile, the number of people seeking food assistance for the first time was up in all 21 cities with data on the issue, and was "particularly notable among working families stressed by the increase in food prices and the slowdown in the economy," the report said.
Read the Agency France-Presse article here and the entire report here.
posted by Jacqueline Dowd @ 3:20 PM
2 Comments:
I love your blog, your focus, and what you do. Thank you.
I would have to say purely based on my own anecdotal downtown Miami experience that it seems hard to believe there is a reduction in homeless in the City of Miami.
My family participated in a Thanksgiving for the homeless event recently and the crowds were bigger and larger than ever, more families, more couples, more people period.
Everyone I know who works with homeless people believes the numbers are up bigtime. The next count will be in January ... but even that can be hard to compare to past numbers because of the games that are played with the definition of "homeless." For examples, sofa-surfers are not considered homeless.
Anyway, thanks for the kind words.
Post a Comment
<< Home