WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 /U.S. Newswire/ -- As emerging priorities unfold under new Congressional leadership, The U.S. Conference of Mayors and Sodexho, Inc. released today the 2006 Hunger and Homelessness Survey at a press conference at the Conference of Mayors Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Participants in the press conference included Conference of Mayors president, Trenton (N.J.) Mayor Douglas H. Palmer, Des Moines (Iowa) Mayor T.M. [T. M. Franklin Cownie], co-chair of the USCM Hunger and Homeless Taskforce, Charleston (S.C.) Mayor [Joseph P. Riley, Jr.], USCM past president, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), co-chair of the Congressional Hunger Caucus, Rod Bond, president of Sodexho, Inc. School Services Division and Tom Cochran, Conference of Mayors executive director.
For more than 20 years, The U.S. Conference of Mayors has reported on the shortage of emergency services -- food, shelter, medical care, income assistance and energy assistance -- in the nation's cities. For the fourth year, Sodexho, Inc. joins The U.S. Conference of Mayors in bringing national attention to the factors that impact hunger and homelessness in metropolitan areas in the United States.
Officials in 72 percent of the responding cities expect requests for overall emergency food assistance to increase during 2007. Ninety-five percent expect that requests for emergency food assistance by families with children will increase during 2007. Officials in 68 percent of the cities expect that requests for emergency shelter will increase next year. Seventy-five percent expect that requests by homeless families will increase in the same year.
To: National Desk, Political Reporter
Contact: Rhonda Spears Bell, 202-861-6766, or rspears@usmayor
WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 /U.S. Newswire/ -- As emerging priorities unfold under new Congressional leadership, The U.S. Conference of Mayors and Sodexho, Inc. released today the 2006 Hunger and Homelessness Survey at a press conference at the Conference of Mayors Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Participants in the press conference included Conference of Mayors president, Trenton (N.J.) Mayor Douglas H. Palmer, Des Moines (Iowa) Mayor T.M. Franklin Cownie, co-chair of the USCM Hunger and Homeless Taskforce, Charleston (S.C.) Mayor Joseph P. Riley, USCM past president, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), co-chair of the Congressional Hunger Caucus, Rod Bond, president of Sodexho, Inc. School Services Division and Tom Cochran, Conference of Mayors executive director.
For more than 20 years, The U.S. Conference of Mayors has reported on the shortage of emergency services -- food, shelter, medical care, income assistance and energy assistance -- in the nation's cities. For the fourth year, Sodexho, Inc. joins The U.S. Conference of Mayors in bringing national attention to the factors that impact hunger and homelessness in metropolitan areas in the United States.
"This survey represents real people with real needs in cities all across our nation," said Palmer. "As mayors of cities in the richest and most powerful nation in the world, we cannot simply stand by as our residents -- families with children -- continue to suffer. We have a responsibility to work together with our federal partners, as well as the private sector to turn the tide of those most in need in America."
Highlights of the survey show that overall requests for emergency food assistance increased by an average of seven percent over the last year, with 74 percent of the survey cities registering an increase. Additionally, 100 percent of the survey cities reported that families and individuals relied on emergency food assistance facilities both in emergencies and as a steady source of food over long periods of time.
Also, requests for emergency shelter assistance increased by an average of nine percent over the last year, with 68 percent of the survey cities showing an increase. This year mental illness and the lack of needed social services are considered the leading causes of homelessness by city officials.
"The results of this report shed light on a very real challenge facing this nation," said Cownie. "All of us, as Americans, should ask ourselves, are we willing to confront the difficult issues of hunger and homelessness and identify the causes? To attack this problem in a coordinated manner, we cannot ignore the fact that additional funding is needed. If we are to truly change the condition of those who are chronically hungry and homeless, we must act now."
Amid a growing debate on the federal level on the use of the term "hunger," McGovern has argued that to call "hunger" by any other name will make it more difficult to get the political backing and action that is needed to deal with this issue.
"Hunger and homelessness are not simply part of the 'natural order of things'. They represent inexcusable failures of political will and human imagination," McGovern said. "All of us -- at all levels of government and throughout society -- must rededicate ourselves to addressing the needs of ALL Americans."
For the last four years, Sodexho, Inc. has been a partner with The U.S. Conference of Mayors in bringing attention to the serious dilemma of hunger in this country. "All year, Sodexho focuses on the plight of our nation's hungry. We are a company that shows our commitment through more than our checkbook. We are an activist company with more than 110,000 U.S. employees and we make it our business to understand the effects of hunger and to practice hunger-reducing
The findings of the 23-city survey include:
Hunger:
Officials in the survey cities estimate that during the past year requests for emergency food assistance increased by an average of seven percent, with 74 percent of the cities registering an increase. Requests for food assistance by families with children also increased by an average of five percent. Requests for emergency food assistance by elderly persons increased by an average of 18 percent during the last year, with 74 percent of the cities reporting an increase.
On average, 23 percent of the requests for emergency food assistance are estimated to have gone unmet during the last year. For families alone, 18 percent of the requests for assistance are estimated to have gone unmet. In 26 percent of the cities, emergency food assistance facilities may have to turn away people in need due to lack of resources.
Forty-eight percent of the people requesting emergency food assistance were members of families -- children and their parents. Thirty-seven percent of the adults requesting food assistance were employed.
The overall level of resources available to emergency food assistance facilities increased by 13 percent during the last year in the cities registering an increase. Fifty-three percent of the survey cities reported that emergency food assistance facilities are able to provide an adequate quantity of food. However, 63 percent of the cities' emergency food assistance facilities have had to decrease the number of bags of food provided and/or the number of times people can receive food. Of these cities, 52 percent have had to increase the limit of food provided.
Lastly, city officials cited unemployment and other employment- related problems as the leading causes of hunger. Others causes of hunger cited, in order of frequency, include high housing costs, poverty or lack of income, medical or health costs, substance abuse, utility costs, transportation costs and the lack of education.
Homelessness:
During the past year, requests for emergency shelter increased in the survey cities by an average of nine percent, with 68 percent of the cities registering an increase. Requests for shelter by homeless families alone, increased by five percent, with 59 percent of the cities reporting an increase.
An average of 23 percent of the requests for emergency shelter by homeless people overall and 29 percent of the requests by homeless families alone are estimated to have gone unmet during the last year. In 86 percent of the cities, emergency shelters may have to turn away homeless families due to lack of resources; in 77 percent they may also have to turn away other homeless people.
Survey cities reported that over the last year, people remained homeless an average of eight months. Thirty-two percent of the cities said that the length of time people were homeless increased during the last year.
In 55 percent of the cities, families may have to break up in order to be sheltered. In 54 percent of the cities families may have to spend their daytime hours outside of the shelter they use at night.
City officials cited mental illness and the lack of needed services as the leading causes of homelessness. Other causes cited, in order of frequency, include lack of affordable housing, substance abuse and the lack of needed services, low-paying jobs, domestic violence, prisoner re-entry, unemployment and poverty.
The average percentage of homeless families headed by single parents in the survey cities is 71 percent and, on average, children represent 24 percent of the entire population in emergency shelters in the cities. Eighty-seven percent of the survey cities say that there was an increase in homeless children in the emergency shelter system.
Additionally, 95 percent of the cities have developed plans to end chronic homelessness. Twenty-five percent of those cities say that their plans have led to a reduction in the number of people living on the streets. Seventy-five percent of cities say it is too early to say what impact their plans will have on ending chronic homelessness especially with regard to cost savings spent on a chronically homeless person.
Requests for assisted housing by low-income families and individuals increased in 86 percent of the cities during the last year.
Outlook:
Officials in 72 percent of the responding cities expect requests for overall emergency food assistance to increase during 2007. Ninety-five percent expect that requests for emergency food assistance by families with children will increase during 2007. Officials in 68 percent of the cities expect that requests for emergency shelter will increase next year. Seventy-five percent expect that requests by homeless families will increase in the same year.
