For those of us working in this field, we know all too well how "pervasive" homelessness is in our country. I was over at Community Care Fellowship (better known on the street here as Ken and Carols) the other day, speaking with one of the volunteers who come in on a weekly basis. I've known this gentleman since I had an office in their back section, and know that he'd been there long before I came on the scene.
He and I chatted about the increase in visitors to the day shelter and he pointed out that while "the regulars" continued with their normal routines, he'd seen a huge increase in new faces over the summer. When he says "huge," you can rest assured it means a whole lotta folks, trust me.
This is really a no-brainer for most of us in the field; it's too bad we can't do a better job of letting others out there know just how pervasive the issue really is....
Advocates argue in court that homeless problem is pervasive
01:00 AM EDT on Thursday, September 17, 2009
By Paul Davis
Journal Staff Writer PROVIDENCE — Tent cities have become a symbol of the city’s homeless problem, but many more people sleep alone on streets or in parks or squares, witnesses said in Superior Court Wednesday.
While a few dozen people are living in tents at Camp Runamuck II and Provitents, a greater number call Waterplace Park, Cathedral Square and Kennedy Plaza home, said outreach worker Catherine Rhodes.
Others are sleeping on air mattresses, beds and even in chairs in the region’s overcrowded shelters, said Rhodes and others.
Since 1990, the number of Rhode Islanders who have spent a night in a homeless shelter has nearly doubled to 6,423 people, said Eric Hirsch, a sociology professor at Providence College. Nearly two-thirds live in Providence, he said. Cont.
