Homelessness has many faces. People sleeping in the woods, cars, abandoned buildings, shelters, or just begging for enough money to spend one more night in a motel room. They may be single or married, with or without children, with little education or with advanced degrees. Some are addicted, others not. Very few if any are in good health, and during the pandemic their numbers are rising.
Counting the homeless accurately is nearly impossible, so all figures are estimates. Many don’t advertise their situation, some avoid the attention of social services because they fear DHS may take their children, and others are afraid of being arrested, institutionalized, or harassed.
It’s already an increasing problem. as noted by the number of people showing up at homeless shelters and self-identifying as homeless. Causes are the usual suspects: rising house and rental costs, shrinking number of available affordable housing situations, and job loss.
On August 26, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the Biden administration’s order to extend the federal eviction moratorium.
The moratorium, put in place last September, kept around two million people in their homes over the past year, according to the Princeton University’s Eviction Lab. The areas with weakest tenant protection, namely Southern states, will see the effects first. More than 15 million people are in households in arrears.
There are folks in Eureka Springs who have been homeless for a year or more. David lives in the woods near A Cup of Love Ministry. He used to live in the recently torn down hotel nearby but is afraid to stay there now that it’s been demolished. “It’s too dangerous now,” he said. “There are concrete slabs just hanging by rebar.”
David is surprised there’s only a four-ft. fence around the wreckage, and a swimming pool still holds about four feet of water. A few regulars at the food pantry said that there are at least two people living in the demolished ruin.
John, one of those mentioned, admits that he spends most nights there. A young female identified by others at the pantry as staying in the abandoned hotel refused to be interviewed, and a local busker who is homeless was not comfortable being quoted, saying he’s been abused by the press in the past. Paul, who spends his time travelling seasonally, often stays in national forests and national parks.
But the new wave of homelessness is just starting here. Lacey is a married 35-year-old who used to live in Eureka Springs. She had to leave the city because of the lack of affordable housing, and now lives in a nearby city with her husband and two young children. She found an affordable apartment but is now homeless.
Asked how things came to this point, she says, “Something went wrong. It was a snowball kind of thing.” Her landlord became upset when she allowed her brother to stay with her for a few nights. He started a fight with her husband, and the police were called.
A few nights later their circuit breaker suddenly wouldn’t work. When she called her landlord, he told her that he couldn’t fix it and that he didn’t want them staying there anymore. With no power, they had to leave.
Her husband works as a painter, but they can’t find a place they can afford. “So, we’re homeless.”
She called the state 211 number for assistance and was referred to the Salvation Army, which is full. She feels that “there are very few resources for families,” although there are resources for expectant mothers, abused women, and other groups. She’s afraid that if the school her kids attend becomes aware of the full extent of their problems DHS will take them away.
More than 70 percent of the homeless are under age 60, including 20 percent who are children. Most are in poor health. About 40 percent of the homeless have alcohol issues and 25 percent have drug abuse problems. 38.6 percent of sheltered homeless individuals are disabled according to the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty.
The promise to provide Extremely Low-Income populations with affordable housing fails to meet needs, and with only 30 percent of affordable housing available to them, most ELI households become homeless.