Winter cold has set in across Lake County. Thursday morning saw a low of 12 degrees, with a wind chill below zero through the night, according to the National Weather Service.
The cold highlights the challenges facing an increasing number of people in Lake County, with local officials and nonprofits saying there are more residents and families facing homelessness than they’ve seen in years.
A census count of the county’s homeless population in January found 701 people living without permanent housing, a 50% increase compared to the 467 the year before. Dominic Strezo, community development administrator with Lake County, said homelessness “continues to be an issue.”
A volunteer looks for homeless people during the 2022 Lake County homeless census.– Original Credit: News-Sun
The next census count will be taken at the end of January, although data won’t be available until the spring, according to Malin Gembra, Lake County Continuum of Care program coordinator. Eighty to 100 volunteers will canvas the county looking for unsheltered people, while the county does an internal count of various shelters to get a “larger picture” of where homelessness stands.
Strezo expects numbers to be in line with last January.
While he can’t point to one singular cause for the recent increase, he said high housing costs are a factor. It’s a common challenge for the region and the country as a whole.
“It’s a tremendous barrier,” Strezo said. “The solution to homelessness is housing, and access to affordable housing is a common theme for the numbers we’re seeing.”
The data shows more families, even working ones, are facing homelessness for the first time, Gembra said. Larger families are struggling to find adequate, affordable housing.
While Lake County Community Development doesn’t directly work with people struggling with housing, it’s the pass-through entity for about $4 million a year in federal money to area nonprofits. That includes organizations like PADS Lake County, a shelter and resources group that currently houses about 500 people between several hotel shelters, according to executive director Allen Swilley.
There’s an ongoing dearth of affordable housing in Lake County, he warned, putting “significant pressure” on existing systems. PADS has seen a 75% increase in family homelessness in Lake County over the last five years, and a 300% increase in general homelessness during the same period. In the last 12 months, PADS has seen a 50% increase in general homelessness, Swilley said.
“The numbers are growing exponentially, and it’s difficult to keep up because Lake County doesn’t necessarily have the social infrastructure to respond to its challenges,” he said.
While the winter may bring the plight of the homeless into the spotlight, Swilley emphasized that there “is no season when it comes to homelessness.”
“You’re just as vulnerable in the winter as you are in the summer,” he said.
Efforts to address the problem are ongoing. A plan to transform a former Travelodge in Waukegan into a fixed-site shelter is going through its “due diligence,” Strezo said, and if opened will bring more than 200 beds into the shelter system. He said the county is also looking to tap into funding from the Home Illinois Plan.
For more permanent housing affordability solutions, Lake County will simply need more housing, Strezo said. But it’s a complicated issue with any one solution involving different jurisdictions, regulations and resources.
Swilley expressed gratitude to Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor, praising her efforts to support affordable housing and shelters. Other municipalities have been far more resistant, he said.
“Our mission is impeded by local municipalities that can’t act with such political courage, and are not as progressive when it comes to responding to their neighbors in need,” Swilley said. “But we’re hoping to turn the tide.”
