The changing face of homelessness

Jul. 30—The face of homelessness in Haywood County is changing in a way few realize.

That's because an increasing number of people without a place to live are senior citizens that are being displaced as landlords migrate to short-term rentals or sell their properties.

Mandy Haithcox, executive director of the Haywood Pathways Center, said the average age of those staying at the center has jumped from 40 to 50 because so many of the new people coming in are far older.

"Traditionally the reason for homelessness has been dual diagnosis," she said, referencing mental illness and addiction. "Recently, we've been seeing people on walkers or even wheelchairs."

When Pathways opened eight years ago, the intent was to help those in jail transition into society and to help those in recovery have a stable place to make the transformation. The center also provided a year-around shelter in Haywood as opposed to the winter-only effort spearheaded by churches in the county.

"The original reasons to open Pathways are still true, but over the past five years, we've broadened our focus to deal with anyone experiencing homelessness," Haithcox said. "Homelessness is a really complicated problem because every situation is unique. The biggest issue is there are not affordable places for people to live."

Part of the pledge for having a place out of the cold is that residents must work on a plan for being self-sufficient. For those in recovery or leaving jail, that plan often involves finding a job, working on career goals and saving money.

For the elderly now at the center, it's a bit of a different story. Many are retired on Social Security or have a disability check. They have money to live on, it's just that there are no places to rent for an amount they can afford, said Keri Guidry, the assistant director at Haywood Pathways.

Luckily, Brookmont Lofts (the former Haywood County Hospital) is slowly moving individuals into the income-subsidized housing and had openings for several Pathways Center clients.

Why are they homeless?

Guidry, who most recently worked as the organization's caseworker, knows a lot about the circumstances that brought individuals to Pathways.

"Most of the elderly folks are here because they were renting somewhere and their landlords chose to sell," Guidry said. "They either don't qualify for assisted living or can't find a place to rent they can afford."

Sometimes those evicted from their long-term homes because of a sale aren't given enough notice to get all their papers together, and when they have no forwarding address, they often miss out on the warning letters from the government saying benefits will stop.

That means they have to start all over again to apply for a Social Security replacement document or their Medicare/Medicaid information, something Guidry has learned to do as part of her job.

"Not all them have the cognitive ability to think to change their address, even if they do have one where mail can be forwarded," she said. "They send a warning in mail that benefits will be cut off, but if you don't get the warning you're soon in survival mode. It's a big cycle when you are trying to survive."

Living in a group setting after having an apartment requires an adjustment, which puts Guidry in the position of being somewhat of a counselor. Many of the older residents have raised their families, worked at multiple jobs and have an understanding of how life goes.

"Then they are in a group living situation with some 24-year old having a fight with her mother or mad because her boyfriend didn't drop by like he said he would," Guidry said. "The seniors are like, 'Been there, done that.' I encourage them to stay out of the drama."

All at Haywood Pathways Center must set life goals. Those who are retired or disabled residents have plans far different than others working toward sustainability — find a rental to meet their income.

Meanwhile, individuals can stay up to six months at the shelter as they work on their life goals, and at times, a stay has been extended to a year, Haithcox said.

Early on the dorms were closed during the day as most residents were searching for jobs, attending counseling sessions or working.

With the elderly clientele — and COVID — the rules were changed to allow residents to stay in the dining hall or computer lab during the day. The dorms are closed Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. and televisions at the shelter are only available before breakfast and for a few hours in the evening.

Perceptions could be wrong

"Overall, everybody has their ideas of who is homeless, but it is important to keep an open mind, that yes, there are people here in recovery and with metal health issues, but there are also people here who don't have any of those issues," Haithcox said. "It's that the world just didn't work for those people."

Haithcox said some of the reasons that brought individuals to the center, include a fire, a flood or other natural disasters, is a reminder that becoming homeless could happen at any time.

Haithcox and her family understand that better than most. They were displaced from their home following the August 2021 flooding.

Luckily, the family had flood insurance and could stay with relatives as they searched for housing.

The cheapest place they could find was one Haithcox called "less of a disaster than others" was $300,000, and that was almost twice the value of the home that was flooded — and the insurance reimbursement.

"Being homeless can truly happen to anyone," she said. "If we didn't have family here, we would have been staying at the Pathways Center and Keri would have been our case manager."

A predictable problem

Patsy Davis, executive director of Mountain Projects, was one of the Pathways Center founders, and isn't surprised the facility has become the last best hope for displaced elderly citizens in the community.

"I've been talking about the coming housing crisis for years," Davis said. "Look around when you are at a grocery or other retail store and see who is serving us. I often see senior citizens unable to work, but who are having to do just that because Social Security isn't keeping up."

Davis, whose agency operates the federal Section 8 housing program, has a first-hand look at how individuals struggle to find affordable rentals. Even those who are able to receive a voucher, which provides a rental subsidy for those meeting certain criteria, are unable to find a place within the price guidelines.

After waiting for a year or more to get a voucher, Davis said about 40% of the vouchers go unused due to lack of rentals at an affordable rate in the community. The problem is growing worse, she added.

"We're hearing about people who have rented a place for 20 years and then have to leave because either the owner died and the next generation does not want to be a landlord or because the place is to be converted into a short-term rental," she said. "It's hurting the whole community."

One of the places the problem is showing up is at the Haywood Pathways Center where some of the displaced elderly are now living.

Davis serves a monthly meal at the center as part of her church's effort, and notices a larger number of walkers and wheelchairs around the dining room than in the past.

"I feel like I've been beating this issue to death for years and years," she said of the decades-long journey of Mountain Projects to increase affordable housing options. "Pathways is doing some, Habitat is doing some and we have our self-help housing program, but these are not enough. I've had hundreds of conversations about this very issue."