December 19, 2011

In the midst of a struggling economy and continuing high levels of unemployment, U.S. cities are feeling the pressure from increased numbers of hungry and homeless families according to a U.S. Conference of Mayors report on the status of Hunger and Homelessness in 29 cities in America that was released on December 15 by The U.S. Conference of Mayors on a news conference call.

For nearly three decades, the Conference of Mayors has documented the magnitude of the issues of hunger and homelessness in the nation's cities, examining key indicators of the problems and describing efforts cities are making to address these challenges.

"Mayors have always grappled with social issues and their economic consequences, but now these issues are more pronounced than ever because of the weak national economy. As mayors, we are responsible for caring for our residents who are struggling to make ends meet and will continue to do so, even as resources for local programs are slashed in Congress," said Asheville (NC) Mayor Terry Bellamy who co-chairs the Conference of Mayors Task Force on Hunger and Homelessness.

Requests for Food Assistance

According to report findings, all but four of the survey cities noted that requests for emergency food assistance increased over the past year by an average of 15 percent. And among those requesting food assistance, cities noted that even those with jobs are going hungry – 51 percent of those requesting assistance were families, 26 percent were employed, 19 percent were elderly and 11 percent were homeless. With joblessness in many cities reaching double-digits, unemployment was cited by the survey cities as the main cause of hunger, followed by poverty, low wages and high housing costs.

Increasing demand and decreasing resources were most frequently found as the biggest challenge to addressing hunger. In an attempt to meet the need, emergency kitchens had to reduce the quantity of food people could receive or the amount of food offered per meal in 86 percent of the survey cities; and food pantries had to limit the number of times people could visit each month in 68 percent of the survey cities. Even with such efforts, 82 percent of the cities reported having to turn people away because of lack of resources.

When asked for suggestions to reduce hunger in America's cities, respondents said that providing more affordable housing, increasing food stamp benefits and expanding employment-training programs would be viable solutions.

Cities also highlighted several programs currently in place to feed those in need. Some best practices include an urban gardening project in Kansas City, which serves as a source for fruits and vegetables for children and focuses on the ten most requested items such as: non'sweet cereal, vegetables, canned tuna, and fruit; a program in Asheville that specifically serves hungry and homeless veterans through a community ministry; a partnership between the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services and the local food bank's CalFresh program that shares information to identify potential clients and helps them through the application process; and a partnership between the SHARE Food Program and the Horticultural Society in Philadelphia to match food cupboards with local gardeners to help them provide locally-grown fresh produce at significantly reduced rates. The report contains a full listing of best practices.

Requests for Homeless Services

In the area of homelessness, 42 percent of the cities reported an increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness by an average of seven percent. Among families, the number experiencing homelessness increased by an average of 15 percent with 58 percent of the survey cities reporting an increase.

Once again, unemployment led the list of causes of homeless families. This was followed by lack of affordable housing and by poverty. Unemployment also led the list of causes of homelessness among individuals, followed by lack of affordable housing, mental illness and lack of needed services, and substance abuse and lack of needed services.

When asked for suggestions to combat homelessness, respondents called for providing more mainstream assisted housing, rather than shelters, would be helpful. They also called for more permanent housing for people with disabilities and more or better-paying employment opportunities.

As with hunger, the lack of resources is a critical problem. Because no beds were available, emergency shelters in two-thirds of the survey cities reported turning away homeless families with children; shelters in 70 percent of the cities reported turning away unaccompanied individuals. In considering the outlook for next year, officials were not optimistic: those in 64 percent of the surveyed cities expect the number of homeless families to increase, and those in 55 percent of the cities expect the number of homeless individuals to increase. And while officials expect number of homeless people to grow, no survey city expects the resources to provide emergency shelter to increase over the next year.

Kansas City (MO) Mayor Sly James, who also co-chairs the Conference of Mayors Hunger and Homelessness Task Force and participated in the press conference call said, "This long, deep recession has profoundly affected our citizens that have the very least. In this season of giving, our report once again shows how very great the need is in cities across the nation. Families, who once lived in middle class homes, now find themselves without a roof over their heads. Young and old, black and white, educated, and not all are finding themselves in cold lines at missions, many for the first time in their lives. At the municipal level, as they are nationally, our needs are increasing while our resources continue to decrease. In our community, we have instituted a Homelessness Task Force that works across state and county lines in both Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri to find collaborative and broad-based solutions to this complex problem. We are focused on a "housing first" solution, because all of our social services stem from finding a place to live. I hope this report can serve as a call to once again remember our duty to serve those who have nothing, feed the hungry, and shelter the poor."

Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran explained why the organization conducts the survey annually: "This report brings national attention to the issues of hunger and homelessness in this country and helps to direct resources where they are needed. As local governments are struggling with lower tax bases and dwindling budgets, the Conference of Mayors will continue to document the need for emergency services in cities across America as a service to our membership and the families in their communities."

Speaking of the diminishing resources, Anthony Love, Deputy Director for the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness added, "Despite limited resources and a stubborn unemployment rate, cities are finding more innovative and collaborative ways to deal with the homelessness problem."

Prepared by City Policy Associates, the report contains individual profiles for each city in the survey including the median household income, the metro unemployment rate, the monthly foreclosure rate, the percentage of people in the city who fall below in the poverty line and contact information for specific service providers. The report is based on data collected from The U.S. Conference of Mayors Hunger and Homelessness Information Questionnaire, completed by the cities generally for the one-year period from September 1, 2010 to August 31, 2011. A copy of the report, which contains the survey questionnaire can be downloaded from the Conference of Mayors website at www.usmayors.org. An audio file of the press conference call will be available at www.usmayors.org on December 16.

The 29 cities in this survey whose mayors are members of The U.S. Conference of Mayors Task Force on Hunger and Homelessness are:

Asheville, NC
Boston, MA
Charleston, SC
Charlotte, NC
Chicago, IL
Cleveland, OH
Dallas, TX
Denver, CO
Des Moines, IA
Detroit, MI
Gastonia, NC
Kansas City, MO
Los Angeles, CA
Louisville, KY
Minneapolis, MN
Nashville, TN
Norfolk, VA
Philadelphia, PA
Phoenix, AZ
Portland, OR
Providence, RI
St. Paul, MN
Sacramento, CA
Salt Lake City, UT
San Antonio, TX
San Francisco, CA
Seattle, WA
Trenton, NJ
Washington, DC

• All but four (86 percent) of the survey cities reported that requests for emergency food assistance increased over the past year; two cities said requests remained at the same level and two said they decreased. Across the survey cities, emergency food assistance requests increased by an average of 15.5 percent.
• Among those requesting emergency food assistance, 51 percent were persons in families, 26 percent were employed, 19 percent were elderly, and 11 percent were homeless.
• Unemployment led the list of causes of hunger cited by the survey cities, followed by poverty, low wages, and high housing costs.
• The cities reported a ten percent average increase in the number of pounds of food distributed during the last year. Just over two-thirds of the cities (68 percent) saw an increase in the number of pounds of food distributed and 11 percent said the pounds distributed remained the same. Just over one-fifth (21 percent) of the cities reported a decrease.
• Seventy-one percent of the cities reported that their total budget for emergency food purchases increased over the last year; 18 percent (five) of the cities said it remained the same; 11 percent (three) of the cities said it decreased. Across the responding cities, the average increase in the budget for emergency food purchases was 13 percent.
• Across the survey cities, 27 percent of the people needing emergency food assistance did not receive it.
• In 86 percent of the survey cities, emergency kitchens and food pantries had to reduce the quantity of food people can receive at each food pantry visit or the amount of food offered per meal at emergency kitchens. In 82 percent (23) of the cities they had to turn people away because of lack of resources. In 68 percent (19) of the cities they had to reduce the number of times a person or family can visit a food pantry each month.
• Providing more affordable housing led the city officials' list of actions needed to reduce hunger. This was followed by increasing food stamp benefits and providing more employment training programs.
• No survey city expects requests for emergency food assistance to decline over the next year, and all but two of the cities (93 percent) expect these requests to increase, with that increase expected to be substantial in 34 percent of the cities and moderate in 59 percent. The other two cities expect requests to remain at the same level.
• Three-fourths of the cities expect that resources to provide emergency food assistance will decrease over the next year, and 41 percent of these cities expect that decrease to be substantial. Thirty-four percent expect resources to decrease moderately and 21 percent expect they will continue at about the same level. One city anticipates a moderate increase in resources.
• The combination of increasing demand and decreasing resources was cited most frequently by survey city officials as the biggest challenge they will face in addressing hunger in the coming year. Of particular concern for many cities are cuts in federal commodities and funding, declining food donations, and the negative impact of the economy and unemployment.

• Over the past year, the number of persons experiencing homelessness increased across the survey cities by an average of six percent, with 42 percent of the cities reporting an increase and 19 percent saying the number stayed the same. Thirty-eight percent of the cities said the number decreased.
• Among families, the number experiencing homelessness increased across the survey cities by an average of 16 percent, with six in 10 of the cities reporting an increase, 16 percent saying the number stayed the same, and 24 percent reporting a decrease.
• Among unaccompanied individuals, the number experiencing homelessness over the past year increased across the survey cities by an average of less than one percent, with four in 10 reporting an increase and eight percent saying it stayed the same. Fifty-two percent reported a decrease.
• Among households with children, unemployment led the list of causes of homelessness cited by city officials. This was followed by lack of affordable housing and by poverty. Unemployment also led the list of causes of homelessness among unaccompanied individuals, followed by lack of affordable housing, mental illness and lack of needed services, and substance abuse and lack of needed services.
• The survey cities reported that, on average, 26 percent of homeless adults were severely mentally ill, 16 percent were physically disabled, 15 percent were employed, 13 percent were victims of domestic violence, 13 percent were veterans, and four percent were HIV Positive.
• Across the survey cities over the last year, an average of 18 percent of homeless persons needing assistance did not receive it. Because no beds are available for them, emergency shelters in two-thirds of the survey cities must turn away homeless families with children; shelters in 70 percent of the cities must turn away unaccompanied individuals.
• Fifty-nine percent of the survey cities have adopted policies and/or implemented programs aimed at preventing homelessness among households that have lost, or may lose, their homes to foreclosure.
• Providing more mainstream assisted housing led the list of actions needed to reduce homelessness in the survey cities. This was followed by providing more permanent supportive housing for people with disabilities, and having more or better-paying employment opportunities.
• Officials in 64 percent of the survey cities expect the number of homeless families to increase over the next year, and 11 percent of these expect the increase will be substantial. The increase is expected to be moderate in over 53 percent of the cities. Eighteen percent expect the number will remain at about the same level. A moderate decrease is expected in 14 percent of the cities, and one city anticipates a substantial decrease.
• Officials in 55 percent of the cities expect the number of homeless unaccompanied individuals to increase over the next year, with one city expecting a substantial increase. More than half (52 percent) are expecting a moderate increase and 24 percent expect the number will remain at about the same level. A moderate decrease is expected in 21 percent of the cities.
• No survey city expects resources to provide emergency shelter to increase over the next year. Officials in 64 percent of the survey cities expect resources to decrease, and the balance is expecting that they will continue at about the same level.