By Kelley Kepler
Catholic Herald

Homelessness: Some just 'a paycheck away'

Homelessness has been on the rise over the last few decades, and it's a problem that won't be going away any time soon.

While there are many factors that contribute to homelessness, such as lack of affordable health care, mental illnesses or disabilities, domestic violence and substance addiction, a recent study done by the National Coalition for the Homeless, called "Why are people homeless?" cites increasing poverty and the lack of affordable housing as the two main causes for the rise in homelessness.

Decreasing job opportunities, layoffs and unemployment put housing out of reach for many Americans. Moreover, many who are employed do not earn livable wages. NCH cited a recent study done in 27 U.S. cities that found one in four homeless people are employed. Sandy Al-Qudah, of the Catholic Charities Housing Counseling program in Superior, said that in many cases, wages have not grown fast enough to keep up with the rising cost of living.

She pointed out the following statistic from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: a minimum wage worker earning $5.15 an hour can afford to pay no more than $268 a month for a two-bedroom apartment. At this pay, a worker would have to work 89 hours each week to afford a two-bedroom apartment at fair market rent. Families earning such low wages are forced to chose between shelter, food, health care and other basic necessities.

In addition, there has also been a decline in public assistance to aid those stricken by poverty. Tax cuts and budget cuts mean a reduction in programs that aid the needy.

Sr. Rita M. Schneider, a School Sister of Notre Dame, said, "There are far more homeless people in Superior than we realize."

As president of the Sacred Heart Conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, in Superior, Schneider deals frequently with people who need help with housing, many of whom are disabled.

"There's a great demand for low income help," Schneider said. "The disability checks just don't stretch far enough to cover rent."

While the conference has helped 120 people since October, and often works to rehabilitate the homeless, Schneider said the organization currently faces a higher demand for services than they can meet. The organization could use more members, volunteers and donations, she said.

Hand in hand with the problem of poverty is the lack of affordable housing. A high demand for housing has driven up prices at a rate that the poorest of Americans simply cannot afford.

According to NCH, demand for assisted housing exceeds supply and only about a third of the people who qualify receive housing assistance.

Al-Qudah said the waiting list for assistance through the Superior Housing Authority is quite long. Families seeking subsidized housing from the housing authority or through a federal Section 8 subsidy, may face a wait of over a year.

Al-Qudah said the the counseling center often receives calls from people who are newly homeless or in imminent danger of becoming homeless. Last year the center received an average of 10 to 15 calls per week. This year, they are averaging 30 to 40 calls a week. "With the economic issues and layoffs, I foresee that number doubling in the near future," Al-Qudah said.

What are local Catholics doing to help?

Many make donations of money or nonperishable food items; others volunteer at soup kitchens or homeless shelters. For instance, St. Francis Xavier Parish, Superior, works closely with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and has an on-site food shelf that distributes food baskets to about 8 to 10 needy families each month.

St. Anthony Abbot Parish in Cumberland has a program in place to help feed and house poor migrant workers in the area.

Liz Schmidt, a member of Cathedral of Christ the King, is a longtime volunteer at the shelter for the Center Against Sexual and Domestic Abuse, and she spends at least one night a month at Harbor House Crisis Center, where she sleeps on a couch in the lobby, just in case there is an emergency at the shelter.

Harbor House, a ministry of Faith United Methodist Church in Superior, is an emergency homeless shelter that receives volunteer help from churches of all denominations and is funded by United Way, grant money, private foundations and donations from churches.

Bethany Nelson, a case manager at the shelter, said Harbor House has four bedrooms that can accommodate about 20 people, generally homeless single women and families. Guests are allowed to stay for 30 days, although extensions may be granted to those who are actively attempting to better their situations. The demand for help is high, and there are usually two or three families or individuals waiting for others to leave so they can get in, Nelson said.

According to Fr. James Brinkman, pastor at St. Anne Parish in Somerset and Assumption of the BVM in Farmington, there are more homeless people in St. Croix County than one would expect, since it is the fastest growing county in the state, and also one of the richest.

Brinkman knows of a family living in a tent on a campground because their housing situation had fallen through and they couldn't afford the high rent prices in the area, which are quickly increasing. He estimated that the average rent for a family in St. Croix County is between $900 and $1200.

Brinkman said members of St. Anne Parish volunteer with cooking, housekeeping and grounds keeping at Grace Place, which provides transitional shelter to families.

Formerly St. Anne's convent, Grace Place was converted into a shelter last summer and just opened in October. It is run by the Salvation Army, but many other organizations and churches have been imperative in helping to open and run the shelter.

Ann Perszyk, Assistant Director of Grace Place, said that the shelter has five bedrooms and can accommodate about 15 people for 30 days. Grace Place, she said, gives homeless people food and a place to stay, while enabling them to become self-sufficient.

"If they come without a job, our primary focus is to get them a job," she said. Grace Place refers individuals to the Work Force Resource Center, where they receive help finding jobs. There is also education in preparing resumes, cover letters, learning job skills and taking tests to discover their career strengths and interests.

A local family therapist donates her time to come in once a meet and meet with the families, to help the parents and children with the stresses of homelessness and whatever family problems they may be dealing with. Perszyk said the therapist does a great deal of good for the people who stay at the shelter, and "we're so blessed to have her."

Perszyk said that any person could find him or herself in a homeless situation. The shelter has seen people who are employed, people who have lost jobs, families whose houses have burned down, people with debt or large medical bills, people who have lost everything in a divorce. "This can happen to anyone. We're all about a paycheck away," she said.

Rehabilitation is also the main focus of the Catholic Charities Housing Counseling Program. Through the program, people who need housing assistance can take a class that meets for four sessions of two hours each. The class educates people on practical topics such as budgeting, ways to overcome poor credit or poor rental history, the housing application process, how to resolve tenant-landlord conflicts.

The counseling program also helps people apply for subsidized housing and often refers them to other agencies or resources that might be able to provide financial assistance.

While homelessness is a complicated issue with no clear-cut, easy solution, many throughout the diocese are working to reach out to their neighbors in need.

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© Superior Catholic Herald, 2003