Homeless trends

A woman and her two young children sleeping in a laundromat? Here in Frederick County? Sounds impossible in this day and age, but unfortunately this was reality for one homeless family that called Hope Alive this week.

I’ve been blogging a lot recently about the alarming increase in the number of homeless families calling us for help – 45% increase from January to July of this year compared to the same period last year. Sadly, the callers are becoming more desperate than ever before.

Here are some trends Jody Julian, our Family Ministry Specialist, has seen in recent calls for services. More homeless families are …

* persistent in calling multiple times as their homeless crisis has not been resolved,
* living doubled up with friends and family members in subsidized housing – placing their subsidized housing in jeopardy,
* calling us having already accessed all available services,
* moving from county to county and even across state lines, hoping to find help,
* calling from out of the region and other states,
* facing homelessness due to foreclosure.

So what do we do? Thanks to the Ausherman Family Foundation’s generous operating grant and $25,000 Challenge Grant matching dollar for dollar every donation we receive, we are able to lift our intake freeze and help as many families as possible.

You may be wondering what happened to the mom and two young children sleeping in the laundromat. Fortunately, the first agency they contacted – the Frederick Community Action Agency – sent out a staff member to confirm their situation (as they prioritize their intakes based on their emergency situation) and they were able to take them into the City shelter right away.

Please pray for the families that are struggling to survive right here in our own backyard and pray for the families we serve to fully embrace the opportunity for life-change and exit the roles of homelessness once and for all. We are so grateful for your support that makes this possible. Until next week …

Sue Oehmig
Founder and Executive Director