Homelessness down in U.S., Florida but on the rise locally

Nationwide and across Florida, the homeless population is on the decline, according to the 2016 homelessness assessment report released Thursday by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The same cannot be said for Manatee and Sarasota counties.

In April, the Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness released its 2016 numbers based on an annual January homeless count. The report found 497 homeless in Manatee County, up from 296 the year before; and 971 in Sarasota, an increase of 69.

Also contrary to HUD’s latest estimates, which show a 47 percent decline in veteran homelessness nationwide, Manatee and Sarasota counties showed a 5.9 percent increase, from 152 veterans in 2015 to 161 this year.

According to HUD, the nation experienced a 14 percent drop in the homeless population since 2010. Almost 550,000 Americans experienced some level of homelessness in 2016. In Florida, there has been a decrease in homelessness of 30.2 percent since 2007.

HUD Secretary Julian Castro said the nation is making progress.

“While we know that our work is far from finished, it’s clear we’re on the right track to prevent and end homelessness for good,” Castro said via a teleconference with reporters.

But 16 states, as well as several U.S. cities, are reporting increases in homeless populations.

Cost of housing, drug addiction drive up homelessness

Castro and Matthew Doherty, executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, said a lack of affordable housing and the opioid epidemic are driving up homelessness in some areas.

“What we face in our community is a high standard of living with limited access to affordable rental units,” said Leslie Loveless, executive director for the Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness. “For the working poor, that creates a housing problem even for those who are doubling up on rentals and doing their best to get by. It’s not always enough and they are still at risk.”

Addressing the opioid issue, Loveless said Centerstone of Florida in Bradenton has received funding to begin a diversion project for those severely addicted in Sarasota and is looking to expand it into Manatee County.

“Our continuum of care has endorsed the activities Centerstone is doing,” said Loveless. “We’ll work closely with the mental health community because this issue has a big impact on the chronically homeless population and that’s an issue that needs to be addressed.”

Doherty said the new data are encouraging and “shows all the arrows are pointing in the right direction, but we can and must do even better. We have to increase the supply of affordable housing in our country, improve connections to employment opportunities and services and finally, maintain our partnerships at all levels of government.

Progress is being made, Castro said, but the job is far from over, and there are even more Americans who live on the precipice of homelessness each day.

“There was a new report out today on food security status, which underscores the importance of our efforts,” he said. “There are 10.5 million American homes that are food insecure, who reported they lacked money for food or went hungry at some point in a month. Often, it’s the high cost of housing that has left them with too little money to buy food.”

This story was originally published November 17, 2016 at 2:57 PM with the headline "Homelessness down in U.S., Florida but on the rise locally."