The annual point-in-time survey of the homeless in Lake County turned up 82 people living outdoors. That number was less than the 90 volunteers who traversed the county from one end to the other searching for folks spending their winter nights outside.
The count in late January was nearly triple the number of homeless from last year — 30 — volunteer head-counters determined. In 2022, there were 15 unsheltered people living outdoors.
Consider this a glass-half-full scenario: Lake County has an estimated 2023 overall population of 714,351, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That means those 82 homeless persons are the tiniest minority of county residents. We’re not struggling with a large homeless population.
As part of the headcount, volunteers dole out totes with toothbrushes, toothpaste, Mylar blankets, gloves and socks to those found outdoors. Some accept the gifts; others are too proud to do so.
A mild night during the annual headcount may have affected the number — mainly men — spending their evenings out of doors. The number may increase after county community development officials finish the annual task.
Federal definitions of homelessness include sheltered, even those residing in abandoned buildings, and unsheltered people when a total count is made. Before the county’s homeless numbers are tallied, victims of domestic violence housed in shelters, and those who spend their nights in cars and shelters funded by PADS of Lake County will be included.
Public Action to Deliver Shelter, the community-centered group based in Waukegan, was founded in 1972 to help the county’s homeless population. It relies on volunteers, and federal and state funding, to help those without shelter.
The final-final count in 2023 was 467 homeless people, inclusive of those temporarily sheltered, according to county officials. That figure also remains a sizeable minority.
While one person being homeless in such an affluent county surely is worrisome, it could be worse. A lot worse.
Lake County’s homeless population is dwarfed by numbers in Los Angeles, Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, where unsheltered people have taken over entire city blocks. Or Chicago, for that matter.
Statewide, a snapshot of data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which allocates funding to communities to combat homelessness, suggests 11,950 residents of Illinois experienced homelessness on a single night in 2023. That averages out to a homeless rate of 9.5 people per 10,000, which is up from 8 in 2019.
Nationwide, HUD estimates more than 653,104 Americans were unsheltered in 2023. That’s about 20 per 10,000 people in the U.S., according to HUD data, the most since the 2007 point-in-time survey.
One demographic group that has seen its homeless rate drop drastically across the nation is military veterans, according to HUD. Veteran homelessness is 52% lower than it was in 2009, the baseline year for veteran homelessness.
Despite that, the number of U.S. veterans experiencing homelessness increased by 7% between 2022 and 2023. Last year, 35,574 veterans, 22 of every 10,000, were homeless. There are an estimated 16.5 million U.S. veterans.
While no one should have a reason to be homeless in our rich county, there are those who have little choice. Poverty, rising rents and a lack of affordable housing are some reasons.
Affordable housing is a problem across the nation, especially on the West Coast, where middle- and low-income households have difficulties maintaining family residences. Others include losing a job, mental health issues, disabilities and domestic violence.
Then there are the deeper reasons. Those include the opioid epidemic, drug use and alcoholism, according to experts who track homelessness. The COVID-19 pandemic also has taken a toll.
Many communities endorsed anti-eviction freezes, income protections and expansion of the numbers of shelters during the coronavirus outbreak. With the pandemic ostensibly behind us, those actions have expired, placing individuals and families at risk.
Most of us will never suffer from homelessness, but there are those, through no fault of their own, who do and will in the future. In this county flush with upscale communities, there are programs and funding available for them.
Those on the street must take the first steps to end their homeless journeys, seek help and become housed. Before the next winter point-in-time head count wheels around.
Charles Selle is a former News-Sun reporter, political editor and editor.
sellenews@gmail.com.
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