The state of homelessness in York County: opinion
When it comes to homelessness in York County, Pennsylvania, there are a few universal themes. First, homelessness is a complex issue. Second, the face of those experiencing homelessness is changing. Third, the number of individuals and families experiencing homelessness is alarming. Finally, we can only make forward progress if we work together as a community to help those in greatest need.
Homelessness is a Complex Issue
There is rarely one factor that leads to a person experiencing homelessness. As providers of services to those experiencing homelessness in York County, we know firsthand the complexities that lead someone to not have a place to call home and the barriers to returning to safe, stable housing. It can include any combination of a loss of income, unsustainable increases in housing and utility costs, loss of childcare, mental health or physical health concerns, substance use, domestic violence, and many other emergent situations that require an immediate solution. Many times, struggling with homelessness is a symptom of a deeper issue(s) and without taking the time to identify and remedy the root causes, it becomes difficult to break the cycle.
The challenge we manage every day is being able to provide the immediate service of safe housing to a household or individual and at the same time trying to understand the root cause(s) to help prevent the same situation from repeating in the future. We have very dedicated front-line workers in this community that spend their days working to help people progress out of homelessness. Homelessness is a very complex issue.
The Face of Those Experiencing Homelessness is Changing
We have seen a significant increase in homelessness among our most vulnerable, ages 0-5 and 65+. Imagine being over 65 years of age and being forced out of your home or apartment because the rent increased beyond your ability to pay on your retirement income, and you don’t have enough savings to secure another place and maintain the monthly rent. Households with children have also seen significant increases in experiencing homelessness, often a result of a stagnant working wage struggling against an increasingly expensive and limited housing market. York County is experiencing these increases in all corners and all zip codes - rural homelessness, including individuals and families living in their vehicles is happening across York County. Clients served by street outreach teams have increased 70% since 2021.
Many of the individuals entering our emergency shelter support are experiencing homelessness for the first time. The number of first-time homeless households requesting housing support in York County has increased by 40% over the last three years. The number seeking emergency shelter services alone has increased by 35% in that same timeframe. Experiencing homelessness is traumatic, but experiencing homelessness for the first time causes additional levels of stress as they do not know how to navigate the resources available, they do not understand what it means to live in a congregate living situation, or they do not know how their children will receive an education while they are in shelter. The time it takes to return to stable housing, combined with the challenges above, cause significant strain and stress on York Countians in this situation, leaving a lasting impact on every individual and family. The face of those experiencing homelessness is changing.
The Number of Individuals and Families Experiencing Homelessness is Alarming
In York County, we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of homeless individuals and families over the last three years. The number of unique individuals being supported by the homeless response system annually in York County has increased by 9% in the last three years, to approximately 2,100 people. However, that number fails to account for the increase in demand for services that exceeds the availability of those services. The average wait to move into an affordable housing situation is approximately 92 days. This lengthy timeline creates backlog in shelter availability, and creates challenges throughout the affordable housing continuum, specifically the part of the continuum that serves the unsheltered.
As shelters fill up, there is no place for social workers and street outreach services to refer people for safe shelter, resulting in more individuals and households remaining outdoors or in cars. Resources are capped by funding levels that have not increased to meet the need in the community, and in fact, are forced to scale back as one-time COVID-related funding ends. The only option to ensure the safety of impacted individuals and households is to provide proper survival gear to endure the elements, and connection to street outreach workers to support them. All these statistics about our community are alarming, as providers of support services continue to see significant growth in these numbers.
We Can Make Progress as a Community
While we acknowledge that homelessness is complex, the people we are serving continue to evolve and the numbers are increasing at an alarming rate, we are working every day to meet the immediate needs of those that find themselves without a place to live, while trying to enhance the capacity, capabilities, and effectiveness of our current continuum of housing resources. The answer is to work on this issue as a community, not to rely specifically on one group or one type of entity such as government or the non-profit sector to drive substantive change. Our most vulnerable York Countians are struggling, and all York Countians play a role in improving this community.
We must work together as a community. We must develop innovative private/public partnerships that spark the construction of additional housing stock. We must maintain our existing affordable housing opportunities. We must develop innovative programs that help people learn how to be responsible tenants and help to introduce the capital markets to the world of affordable housing. We must ensure our municipal regulations are supportive of affordable and varied housing options. But most of all, we must remember that the people experiencing homelessness in York County today are our friends, neighbors, and family members. They are someone’s son, daughter, mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, uncle, aunt or cousin. They deserve the respect and dignity we afford to our other neighbors that have a roof over their heads.
The York County providers of services to our neighbors experiencing homelessness will continue to serve daily, we will continue to develop innovative solutions to increase capacity and address the root causes of homelessness, and we will continue to do this work in a dignified, respectful, and financially responsible way. We invite you to join us by supporting our organizations through financial contributions, advocacy, and/or volunteerism.
We welcome the opportunity to discuss the issue of homelessness in our community and how we can and should work together to make a difference in the lives of our neighbors, friends, and family members who are without safe housing.
We invite you to join the conversation, take action and be a part of the solution.
Connect with these local partner agencies:
Friends & Neighbors of Pennsylvania, Inc.: https://fnofpa.org/
York County Coalition on Homelessness: https://yorkcountycoh.org/
Bell Socialization Services: https://bellsocialization.com/
LifePath Christian Ministries: https://lifepathyork.org/
This letter was signed by Robin Shearer, Executive Director, Friends & Neighbors of Pennsylvania, Inc.; Kelly Blechertas, Program Coordinator, York County Planning Commission/York County Coalition on Homelessness; Tony Schweitzer, Executive Director, Bell Socialization Services; Patrick Ball, Interim CEO, LifePath Christian Ministries.
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: The state of homelessness in York County
