By Kate Budd, Executive Director of the Council for the Homeless
Over twenty years ago, those who were unfortunate enough to coach me in softball often yelled that no matter how hard I hit the ball with the bat, the ball will only go where my eyes are focused. The 2019 Point In Time (PIT) Count data for Clark County shows us that our collective eyes need to focus on solutions and outcomes that move people from being homeless into permanent living situations. Yes, it is essential to provide for emergency needs and in a community where funding is limited, those needs have to be balanced with investments that reduce homelessness. This means programs and housing that actually move households from homelessness to stable housing.
Research shows that homelessness increases in communities where rents grow faster than incomes. In one year, Clark County rents rose on average by 8.3%, with the fair market rent rising by over $500 in the last five years. Rental costs are greatly outpacing employment wages causing people to spend a higher and higher percentage of their income on rent. Rental cost increases are making it particularly difficult for seniors and people with disabilities who have stagnant incomes, often forcing them to make difficult decisions between housing and basic necessities. People who identify as having a disability of any type made up a larger percent of the 2018 Point in Time unsheltered count at over 50 percent.
Each day people call our housing hotline stating they left their rental unit due to rent increases. Finding housing that is affordable, saving for move-in costs and moving all their belongings is too much to do with 20-days’ notice (outside City of Vancouver). This is an often impossible situation, which leads directly to households moving into their car or on the street. This is particularly concerning as we see the number of people with disabilities and seniors experiencing homelessness, even those in their 70s and 80s, greatly increase.
Are our community efforts helping?
Yes. Data shows that our local housing stability programs that move people from homeless situations to housing are working; we just do not have enough of these resources to meet the increasing demand. Clark County Rapid Re-housing programs that assist people who are homeless, including those focused on families and youth (18-24) have an 84% success rate of exiting households to safe and stable housing. Once stabilized through one of these programs, 86% of people do not re-enter the homeless system. However, over the course of 2018 the programs had capacity for only a small percentage of people who sought one of these long-term housing programs.
The long-term solution to homelessness is to increase housing stabilization programs that help people move from being unhoused to housed, while also working on the broader issue of housing affordability. Investments in basic need programs are lifesaving and needed. Additionally, all Clark County communities will continue to see greater demand for basic need programs unless we also make smart long-term investments. This means increasing investments in 1) housing stabilization programs focused on people experiencing homelessness, 2) affordable housing and incentivize affordable and 3) mixed-income housing through our zoning and land use policies.
New investments on the horizon.
The primary funders of homeless crisis response system continue to recognize the increasing need to provide programs and housing to people experiencing homelessness. Positive investments already made and on the horizon include:
Returning to my softball coach’s advice, the community needs to remain focused on the outcome of moving people from unhoused to being housed in a permanent living situation. Otherwise we will miss the mark and keep striking out on reducing homelessness.