Far From Big City, Hidden Toll of Homelessness

As the Bush administration promotes a widely praised multibillion-dollar effort to end chronic homelessness in cities like Washington and San Francisco, a growing outcry is rising from rural areas that worsening problems far away from urban centers are being overlooked.

Rural homelessness has always taken a back seat to the more glaring problems in cities. Most studies estimate homeless people in small towns account for about 9 percent of the 600,000 or so homeless nationwide. But local officials and advocates for the homeless in small towns say that economic distress in recent years, including closing plants, failing farms, rising housing costs and other troubles, has left more people without homes and in greater need of help.

Real numbers are hard to come by because most rural areas, where homeless services often means ad-hoc help from church groups or volunteers, are far behind a parade of cities taking head counts..........

This year, the federal government has increased direct spending on homeless programs to about $4 billion, up from $2.9 billion and double the spending of five years ago. About 10 percent of that has gone toward a new focus on ending chronic homelessness, Mr. Mangano said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/11/us/11homeless.html?pagewanted=2&ei=5094&en=d55e8b1a2e6fb620&hp&ex=1160625600&partner=homepage

"Widely praised"?

Such talk is now accompanied by $4.1 billion in the 2007 federal budget for homeless programs. But these programs don't cover medical needs or fund much housing. And in the same budget, the Bush administration cut about $3 billion from Medicaid, which provides much of the health care for America's homeless, and cut federal housing dollars by $600 million.

"You can't fill a $52 billion hole with $4.1 billion," says Paul Boden, executive director of the Western Regional Advocacy Project, a San Francisco–based group, referring to the generation-long gap in federal public-housing spending.

"The feds are making our job much harder," says Seattle Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis. "We are getting doublespeak from the Bush administration."

The Medicaid cuts may cause the biggest problems initially. Fifty percent or more of America's homeless are afflicted with mental illnesses, and the federal Medicaid program, buoyed by state contributions, is the backbone of the country's public mental-health system. But about half of the $3 billion in cuts will directly affect mental-health systems, according to the National Mental Health Association. It will be up to the states to fill the gap—or not....

http://www.seattleweekly.com/news/0610/homeless.php

The problem of rural homelessness is only going to get worse and needs to be addressed.

when they can no longer afford their lifestyle, housing in the exurbs and even in some still rural areas is going to be boarded up and permanently empty.

The same thing happened in the Depression, families on the streets or (if they were lucky) in tents and cars while housing stock sat empty because banks wanted top dollar for abandoned properties.

Some of the housing in rural areas that was abandoned in the 20s and 30s is still empty, decayed beyond repair. Likely it will be the same this time.

The rich would rather have us die on the street than allow us to shelter in property they have no hope of making a dollar on.

Yup. The evil Bush does in the name of good is unspeakable.

I am in a repair business and poeople will sometimes tell you anything.Her husband died and she is living on $500. per month. She works part time at a McDonald's for min., wage.Her rent is $275. per month.This is the hidden suffering going on in this country.

And what would a person like that do if they take away SS? :hurts:

K&R

Not to worry. They will change the definition of citizen & their consciences will be soothed.

Oops, my bad. They don't have consciences!

<snip>Until recently, many small towns like Trinidad coped with those who panhandled or set up makeshift encampments in the woods with what Lance Cheslock, director of La Puente, a shelter in Alamosa, near here, calls “Greyhound therapy.” They handed out bus tickets.

“They just send them up to the cities and let them deal with the problem there,” said Mr. Cheslock, among the advocates pushing for a new way to finance rural homeless programs.

The growing visibility of the problem has made some towns reconsider that attitude and push for local solutions, although they can be expensive and difficult.<snip>

i have always felt that the hinterlands were foisting their mentally ill & homeless poor on Seattle - the population is huge & overwhelmingly schizophrenic. this is the first time i have seen confirmation in the MSM that the "Narrenschiff" strategy is real.

thanks, rural america! thanks ronald reagan! my property taxes go up to care for somewhere else's untouchables. what a clusterfuck.

I forget which city but they had armed guards keeeping homeless people out.

was about the homeless ban. There is another form of rural homelessness. My family has 5 generations living in one house. It is an interesting experience to say the least. Rap in one room, classical in another and baby chatter wherever she wants to be. We survive but it is not easy.

in this Country. Look for more of this if the Republicans keep control. Kick and Nom.