Survey shows “chronically homeless” people more numerous than thought, and often ill
Charlotte has nearly double the national average of homeless people visiting hospitals more than three times a year – and it’s costing the community millions of dollars.
That startling fact is one of many revelations that came from a ground-breaking homeless survey held this week, using a $10,000 grant from the Charlotte Housing Authority.
Specifically, the effort sought out the “chronically homeless” – those who live on the streets for years because of mental instability or addictions that keep them from leading a normal life.
It has long been estimated that Charlotte had about 500 such people among its estimated 6,500 homeless.
But the survey found 741, and the number will likely climb to 850, based on survey sheets yet to be calculated.
Of the 741, nearly half are vulnerable to dying on the streets due to health problems ranging from Hepatitis C to emphysema.
“I’m stunned,” she said. “We as a community weren’t addressing the problem of chronic homelessness when we thought we had just 500. Now, we realize it’s even bigger than we thought. We should be alarmed.”
There’s no way to judge the accuracy of the survey responses, but here are the findings:
The most vulnerable among the 741 had spent an average of 6.1 years living on the streets.
521 hospitalizations were reported among the respondents in the past year.
540 had no insurance.
252 reported being a victim of a violent attack since becoming homeless.
The results of the study were released Friday by Becky Kanis of Common Ground, a New York-based organization that has guided similar surveys in 21 other communities.
It’s Kanis who noticed Charlotte’s rate for homeless hospital visits is double the national average. In all, 189 respondents had been to the emergency room or hospitalized more than three times in the past year.
“With ER and inpatient hospital visits, you have more than $2 million spent on health care,” said Kanis, noting $2 million is a low estimate. “That is based on one night in the hospital. The average number of days spent in the hospital by the homeless is four.”
The solution to that problem, she said, is to determine who is footing the bill for those hospital stays, and show them alternatives.
15 percent of the respondents were veterans of the armed forces, and most had been honorably discharged, making them candidates for housing vouchers from the Veterans Administration.
7 percent of those surveyed were over 60, qualifying them for aid to seniors.
“What we’ve done with the survey is shine a light on the problem in a systematic way, to craft better policies." “Hopefully, folks in the VA will see it and say ‘Oh, there’s my portion.’ Folks who work with seniors will say ‘Oh, there is mine.’ And folks who work with those who’ve aged out of foster care will see it and say ‘there is mine.’”
A far greater challenge, is to convince the community that it needs to rethink who among the homeless should get help first. The tendency is to help those who can get back on their feet the fastest.
“Everybody likes to rally around the guys on the five yard line, who is looking into the end zone, because we all love a victory story." “It’s the ones at the other end of the field we need to worry about: The ones who are going to die on the street.”
More Information
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The homeless survey conducted this week involved more than 100 volunteers who sought out the chronically homeless, a subgroup of the city’s estimated homeless population of 6,500.
They found 741, nearly half of whom were deemed “vulnerable,” because their health problems make them at risk of dying in the streets.
Here are some of the findings among the 741:
54 (7%) are over 60 years old.
The oldest respondent was 68 years old.
12 individuals reported being homeless longer than 20 years
The longest reported length of homelessness was 35 years
The average years homeless for the vulnerable population is 6.1 years.
The average years homeless for the von-vulnerable population is 4.3 years.
100 (14%) respondents report having a history of foster care.
42 respondents were under 25 years old.
The youngest respondent was 18 years old.
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