Story posted Thursday, January 28, 2010
Northwest Suburban Homeless Population Rising
By TIM O'CONNOR Journal & Topics Reporter
The number of homeless people in the Northwest suburbs has risen greatly in the past year, according to the area's leading homeless assistance organization.
While there is no way to accurately count the number of homeless, Journeys from PADS to HOPE is expecting to help 800 people this year, up from 750 a year ago. Clinical Director Todd Stull said that increase is indicative of a growing population of homeless people.
Journeys is seeing a nearly 50% rise in clients from many villages and cities. From July 2009 to January 2010, Journeys saw 98 homeless clients from Arlington Hts., 35 more than in the same period a year before. In Mt. Prospect they've had 35 clients, up 14 people. Des Plaines had 61 clients, an increase of 23.
Palatine, where Journeys is based, saw an increase of 31 clients for a total of 139 people over the past six months.
"The drastic increase is pretty easily attributable to the foreclosure crisis and unemployment," Stull said. "Now you've got a lot of people who can't pay their rent or mortgage. It's a sad and simple truth."
According to RealtyTrac.com, a website that collects data on foreclosures, there were 131,132 foreclosure filings in Illinois last year, up 32% from 2008. In December alone there were 195 foreclosures in Des Plaines, 147 in Palatine, 120 in Arlington Hts., and 75 in Mt. Prospect.
Stull said many of those people are ending up on the street, putting a strain on public services.
Stull said the first agencies to be affected are the emergency services: police, fire, and hospitals. From there, outreaches like church programs take on the load.
It's a problem because there is an increase in need while the numbers of resource remain the same.
"The cracks and the strains are all out there," Stull said.
He said many of those homeless never get help leading to mental illnesses that would have been easily preventable with access to doctors and health professionals. Many times those illnesses result in substance abuse, especially alcohol, he said.
On Jan. 1 a ban on single serving liquor sales went into effect in Arlington Hts. precisely to fight alcohol abuse among the village's growing homeless population.
Other tactics are being employed as well. The Arlington Hts. Police Department received a $13,500 grant in late December from the Judicial Advisory of Cook County to set up a homeless aid program. Officers are pairing up with Journeys mental health providers to approach homeless residents and provide crisis intervention.
Arlington Hts. isn't alone. Kathy Puetz, Des Plaines' director of Health and Human Services, said the city works with the Des Plaines Ministerial Association to coordinate food and supply purchases from local stores to aid the homeless.
But Stull said more needs to be done or the problem will only get worse. He said the state has drastically cut funding to aid programs like Journeys, which means less assistance.
"When people need the help the most that's when everybody tends to lose funding and cut back services," he said. Taxpayers foot the bill eventually, Stull said, and prevention programs that shelter the homeless are less expensive than treating mental health problems down the line.
"It's cheaper for us to just give somebody an apartment and pay for an apartment for the entire year than have somebody wander on the streets," he said.
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