Oklahoma's Homelessness Resource

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The Changing Face of Homelessness

Today's global financial crisis has spawned massive dislocations of many new and surprising types. The current economic downturn, unlike others in the past, is hurting not just the already-poor but also people who were considered safe and well off. Once mighty banks have been brought low -- or destroyed. And millions of people who were living the American dream -- as homeowners -- are heading for the street.

The images of homelessness -- sunken-cheeked men railing against imaginary voices -- now include the specter of the family next door -- former homeowners and the recently unemployed. These once middle-class folks now have been tossed into desperation by the international credit crunch.

And much of it is happening in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol.

Raymond Winbush, an unemployed emergency-room technician who likes to read Shakespeare, looks at the other homeless men at the Central Union Mission in Northwest and wonders aloud how his life has come to this.

"I was raised with the idea that if you had a job, that if you did it well ... you could make it. You didn't need to worry," says Mr. Winbush, 61, who said he left a steady job at the Maimonides Medical Center in New York to help his sister in Virginia Beach.

Realizing he could not help save her home from foreclosure on the low wages paid in the Tidewater area, Mr. Winbush headed to the District to find work at one of the city's many hospitals.

He said Howard University Hospital made an offer but couldn't follow through with a job because of financial reasons. Attempts to find work at Georgetown University, Providence and Sibley Memorial hospitals resulted in similar outcomes.

"This is the first time in my life where I can't find a job," says Mr. Winbush, who keeps his interview clothes and other belongings in a rented storage locker. "I don't know what's going on. Every time I get close, something happens and I have to start all over again."

This came from the "Washington Post"
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/dec/14/changing-face-of-homelessness

Data and Research

• Fact Sheets: http://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/
• Homeless Families with Children: http://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/families.pdf
• Homeless Youth: http://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/youth.html
• Homeless Veterans: http://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/veterans.html
• Homeless Elderly: http://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/elderly.html

Reports

• 2009 Policy Guide: http://www.endhomelessness.org/content/general/detail/2462
• Homelessness Counts: http://www.endlongtermhomelessness.org/knowledge_center/homelessness_counts09.aspx
• http://www.usich.gov
• Housing First Click Here
• Oklahoma State Plan to End Homelessness Click Here
• 2009 Poverty Guidelines Click Here

Quick Facts

• 39% of Oklahomans who are homeless report they are in need of mental health or substance abuse services and only 11% report that they are receiving services.
• 82% of Oklahomans who are homeless report they have a disability.
• Homelessness is not just an urban problem as 9% of the homeless nationally live in rural areas.
• 22% of Oklahoma’s homeless population are under the age of 18
• Approximately 8,200 Oklahoma school children are homless
• 35% of Oklahoma’s families who are homeless are single parent families
• The average median income for a family of three in Oklahoma is $47,381. 46% of Oklahomans with income below the average median income carries a significant housing cost burden, which increases the likelihood of becoming homeless
• In Oklahoma the fair market value for a two-bedroom apartment is $557. To afford this rent and utilities without paying more than 30% of income on housing, a household must earn $1,855 monthly or $22,262 annually. In a 40 hour work week, this level of income translates to an hourly wage of $10.70.
• Oklahoma’s poverty rate rose to 17% in 2006 compared to the national average of 12.3%. Only six states have a higher poverty rate than Oklahoma.
• A family of four living in Oklahoma must work a minimum of three fulltime jobs at minimum wage to afford the fair market rent of $744 for a three-bedroom apartment.
• According to the Social Security Administration, 82,000 Oklahomans are disabled and receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments.
• Monthly SSI payment for an individual is $603 in Oklahoma. If SSI represents an individual’s sole source of income, $181 in monthly rent is all that is affordable, while the fair market value for a one-bedroom apartment is $457.
• The majority (67%) of people who received emergency shelter services in 2006 reported they were working fulltime before they became homeless.

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