Families Staying Homeless Longer: Dane County, Wisconsin FWD
Tom Boland (wgcp@earthlink.net)
Mon, 19 Oct 1998 03:07:21 -0400
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FWD http://www.channel3000.com/news/stories/news-981016-214936.html
FAMILIES STAYING HOMELESS LONGER
Student Group Focuses On Problem This Weekend
Compiled by Channel 3000 staff
MADISON, Posted 9:20 p.m. October 16, 1998 -- Homeless families in Dane
county are having a tough time finding a place to live before they have to
leave emergency shelters.
Especially families like Savella Vaughn's, reports WISC-TV. Vaughn, 34,
took her children and left her abusive husband - a man now in prison.
Today, she began a new life with her three children. They left the YWCA
emergency shelter for her new permanent home - just in time. Their allotted
time at the shelter expired.
"If I had to be homeless anywhere else than Madison, Wisconsin, I don't
think I would have made it," she said. "There's so much help here."
Persistence and local programs did help the Vaughns find permanent housing,
but housing counselors say the Vaughn's are one of the lucky homeless
families.
They say more and more, homeless families cannot find permanent housing
within 30 days -- that's the county cutoff for when they have to leave
emergency shelter. "Thirty days used to be long enough to, at least, get
you from one point to another," said Barb Lindsay of the Salvation Army.
"And now it's not doing it anymore."
Salvation army officials said Dane County families were homeless an average
44 days before finding housing last year.
The first four months of this year it took 20 days longer -- a 44 percent
increase. "Some of them end up on the street," said Vaughn. "I've seen them
cry."
For many, too few paychecks too late is the problem, reports WISC-TV.
Vaughn got her apartment with her husband's government disability check.
Now, she said feels fortunate. "It's just nice," she said. We're all gonna
be happy."
Homeless experts want more shelter time for struggling families. But it
would need more funds. Already the county spends at least $500,000 a year
on emergency shelter.
To learn more:
WISPIRG National Student Campaign Against Hunger And Homelessness Conference
Call (608)251-1918 for more information.
*3-3:45 p.m. -- Keynote speaker, Martha Pickett, executive director of
Second Harvest
*6:30-7:30 p.m. -- Awards dinner
END FORWARD
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<paraindent><param>right,left</param>FAMILIES STAYING HOMELESS LONGER
Student Group Focuses On Problem This Weekend
Compiled by Channel 3000 staff
</paraindent>
MADISON, Posted 9:20 p.m. October 16, 1998 -- Homeless families in Dane
county are having a tough time finding a place to live before they have
to leave emergency shelters.
Especially families like Savella Vaughn's, reports WISC-TV. Vaughn, 34,
took her children and left her abusive husband - a man now in prison.
Today, she began a new life with her three children. They left the YWCA
emergency shelter for her new permanent home - just in time. Their
allotted time at the shelter expired.
"If I had to be homeless anywhere else than Madison, Wisconsin, I don't
think I would have made it," she said. "There's so much help here."
Persistence and local programs did help the Vaughns find permanent
housing, but housing counselors say the Vaughn's are one of the lucky
homeless families.
They say more and more, homeless families cannot find permanent housing
within 30 days -- that's the county cutoff for when they have to leave
emergency shelter. "Thirty days used to be long enough to, at least,
get you from one point to another," said Barb Lindsay of the Salvation
Army. "And now it's not doing it anymore."
Salvation army officials said Dane County families were homeless an
average 44 days before finding housing last year.
The first four months of this year it took 20 days longer -- a 44
percent increase. "Some of them end up on the street," said Vaughn.
"I've seen them cry."
For many, too few paychecks too late is the problem, reports WISC-TV.
Vaughn got her apartment with her husband's government disability
check.
Now, she said feels fortunate. "It's just nice," she said. We're all
gonna be happy."
Homeless experts want more shelter time for struggling families. But it
would need more funds. Already the county spends at least $500,000 a
year on emergency shelter.
To learn more:
WISPIRG National Student Campaign Against Hunger And Homelessness
Conference
Call (608)251-1918 for more information.
*3-3:45 p.m. -- Keynote speaker, Martha Pickett, executive director of
Second Harvest
*6:30-7:30 p.m. -- Awards dinner
END FORWARD
HOMELESS PEOPLE'S NETWORK <<http://aspin.asu.edu/hpn/> Home Page
ARCHIVES <<http://aspin.asu.edu/hpn/archives.html> read posts to HPN
TO JOIN <<http://aspin.asu.edu/hpn/join.html> or email Tom <<wgcp@earthlink.net>
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