Recession to Increase Homelessness

Recession to Increase Homelessness
National Alliance To End Homelessness Releases Paper

The number of people experiencing homelessness increases during recessions. Increasing numbers of unemployed people are unable to afford rent, and charities and local governments are unable to keep up. Based on the projected increase of persons in deep poverty -- those earning one-half of the poverty level -- the National Alliance to End Homelessness in Washington D.C. has released a paper estimating that approximately 866,000 additional Americans will experience homelessness at some point during each of the next two years. In other words, without intervention, an additional 1.5 million Americans will experience homelessness in 2009 and 2010.
In recent years, communities have rapidly increased their knowledge of how to address homelessness and have focused efforts around reducing and ending homelessness through prevention and rapid re-housing programs. Unfortunately, the effects of the recession are in danger of overwhelming their efforts unless communities receive assistance. Under current circumstances, the federal government is the only likely source of funding at a level sufficient to do the job. NAEH advocates that, for the two-year period beginning in early 2009, the federal government invest $2 billion for homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing, 400,000 additional Section 8 vouchers, and $10 billion for the National Housing Trust Fund.

Read The Full Paper HERE