Number of homeless families is growing

“There is a housing crisis in Delaware, and it is not new. Thousands of families are financially burdened by the cost of rent. Thousands more experience homelessness each night, or live in crowded or substandard housing,” said Rachel Stucker, executive director of Housing Alliance Delaware.

A new report issued by the alliance includes the 2021 Point in Time homeless count, which showed an increase of 35 percent in the number of homeless over the previous year, which is attributed to an increase in the number of homeless families.

Stucker said on the January night when the count was done, more than 500 children under the age of 18 were sleeping in homeless shelters or hotels and motels due to a lack of safe housing.

In Sussex County, there were 465 sheltered adults and children in a county that only has 25 year-round shelter beds. The high count is largely due to the number of people in Code Purple shelters, and hotels and motels paid for by nonprofit organizations and vouchers from the Department of Health and Social Services, according to the report.

In fiscal year 2021, the alliance was contacted by 9,500 households experiencing homelessness who were seeking information. Stucker said of those, 2,400 reported they were unsheltered, sleeping in cars, parks or other places not meant for human habitation.

Voucher system expands in 2020

On Nov. 18, the alliance hosted a virtual presentation by Steve Metraux, author of “An Overview of Family Homelessness in Delaware.”

Metraux said the increase in homeless families is tied to the longer period of time those families stay in hotels, motels and shelters. The average daily stays of homeless families using state vouchers at hotels and motels increased dramatically in 2020 to more than 300 days from an average of less than 100 days during 2019 and 2018, he said.

“The demand for hotel-motel vouchers ballooned, and the state service centers got swamped. They did a good job accommodating the demand,” he said, adding the effort was made more difficult by many employees working remotely.

The highest numbers of vouchers were issued in Sussex County.

“The state service centers are the premier provider of temporary housing for the homeless in the state, more than all other providers combined,” he said.

Metraux said one of the major concerns is where homeless families end up once they leave hotels and motels. “The shelters can't handle them,” he said.

Metraux said the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 had an impact on capacity and occupancy at emergency shelters and transitional housing. He said because of the number of hotel-motel vouchers available and due to restrictions, including reduced capacity, homeless people were hesitant to spend time in shelters. He said no COVID outbreaks were reported at any facility, and many organizations reported an ongoing surplus of capacity even with a reduced number of beds.

Housing issues continue

Metraux said securing permanent housing continues to be a struggle for homeless families because of high rents and increasing home prices. “Many incomes, even when [people are] working, are not really enough to pay current rents,” he said.

He said short-term rental assistance was provided to 207 families in 2020, which is the highest total over the past four years. But, he said, in the current housing market, many landlords are reluctant to rent to homeless families.

He said there are no Section 8 housing vouchers available to families for temporary housing in Delaware.

Metraux said potential federal funding could have a drastic impact on the number of housing vouchers for families in need. He said Build Back Better legislation contains $24 billion for housing vouchers, and the use of American Recovery Plan Act funding could also bolster the number of vouchers.

Stucker said Delaware has received significant resources from the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan Act to respond to and recover from the impacts of COVID-19. In rescue plan funds alone, the state has been awarded $925 million, with counties and local jurisdictions receiving another $435 million, she said.

“These funds can be used to address housing and homelessness. To date, only $56 million has been dedicated to affordable housing, with the state and most jurisdictions declining to make a public commitment of funding to solving the crisis,” she said.

“We must recover from the pandemic by literally building. Building affordable housing units. Building a service-delivery system that safely meets the needs of all who need shelter. And building the will of our public officials to take bold action. We must move from crisis response to recovery and build something better,” Stucker said.

To view the report, go to housingalliancede.org.

Point in Time scheduled for Jan. 26-27

The 2022 Point in Time homeless count is scheduled for the night of Wednesday, Jan. 26, into the early morning of Thursday, Jan. 27. Volunteers are urged to take part in a virtual training session from 10 to 11 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 18, at the following link: us02web.zoom.us/j/81764283853?pwd=QWRoL3lQWnJ5bytXWHBNWDRPSnBJQT09.