Homeless count expected to grow

They descend onto dark city streets, peeking behind strip malls and trash bins. They comb the banks of the washes, investigate empty lots and underpasses, counting the homeless.

It’s a large-scale, point-in-time homeless census that — together with numbers gathered during a separate count in rural Clark County and from shelters, hospitals and other sources — gives social service providers a clear idea of how the local homeless population has changed. Homeless censuses are required every two years to apply for federal grant money to fight homelessness.

The previous census, in 2009, found 13,338 people were homeless in Clark County. Most of those who work with the homeless expect this year’s count, scheduled for 1 to 6 a.m. Thursday, to reveal the homeless population has grown. The long-troubled economy, continued high unemployment and cuts to programs that help the poor are to blame, they said.

"Given the trends we’re seeing, I would expect an increase," said Michele Fuller-Hallauer, a coordinator with the Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition’s Committee on Homelessness, which sponsors the biennial count.

The number of homeless families, especially, might rise, she said.

"Folks that were living doubled up, who could live on someone else’s property, those families are being told, ‘I’m sorry. You’ve got to go,’ " she said. "There are a lot more of them hitting the streets than a year or two ago."

But it’s notoriously difficult to accurately predict the count. Many people who were down-on-their-luck have decided to leave town in hopes of finding work in a stronger economy. That could result in lower numbers of homeless people. And predictions have proved wrong before.

Social service providers expected a large spike in the population during 2007’s count because the general population had been growing and the pool of low-rent housing had shrunk. Instead, the count found 11,417 homeless people, down from 13,000 in 2005. Count organizers said new counting methods used in 2007 might have produced a more accurate count than in 2005.

In 2009, after outreach workers had spent several years focusing on getting "chronic" street people into homes, only a modest increase was expected. Instead, nearly 2,000 more people were homeless in 2009 than in 2007.

But the demographics had shifted: There were more homeless people living in shelters or other temporary housing than on the street. The number of "street homeless" decreased.

This year will be the fourth countywide effort to conduct a person-by-person count of the homeless.

Those who have first-hand experience say they do not need a count to tell them there are more homeless people now.

"With this economy, of course," said Ralph Rhodes, 53, a homeless man who spoke earlier this month to outreach workers outside the state’s Casual Labor Office at the edge of downtown’s homeless corridor .

"You see more people who aren’t used to this lifestyle," he said. "It’s a rough lifestyle."

Rhodes said he has been homeless off and on for a couple of years after health issues left him temporarily unable to work. Emergency shelters have become increasingly crowded, he said.

"I’m at a point I need help to get to the next level," he said. "This (expletive) ain’t me."

People who have been struggling for the first time in their lives might have become homeless instead of seeking help, said Olwyn Pruitt, a case manager with Straight from the Streets homeless outreach program.

"People don’t know there are services or how to find them because they’ve never had to ask before," she said. "Some are embarrassed to ask for help or afraid they’re going to get scammed."

The count might reveal some good news for one demographic: homeless veterans.

Recent research shows fewer veterans are homeless, said Shalimar Cabrera, site director for U.S. Vets, a shelter for homeless veterans.

The Obama administration has dedicated more funding to combating homelessness among veterans, she said, leading to more programs both nationally and locally to help get them off the street.

News probably won’t be so good for homeless youths, said Tim Mullin, executive director of Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth. The organization experienced a 60 percent increase in the number of youths visiting its drop-in center in 2010 over 2009, he said.

But part of the increase could be attributed to the organization’s recent opening of a larger drop-in center and its hiring of a new outreach worker, he said.

Linda Lera-Randle El, director of Straight from the Streets, is particularly concerned about a potential spike in the number of mentally ill homeless people.

The mentally ill typically make up one of the largest groups of homeless people. Recent studies show Nevada has fewer public psychiatric beds per capita than nearly all other states. Nevada’s spending on mental health agency services is among the lowest in the nation.

"The amount of mentally ill out there is staggering to me now," Lera-Randle El said. "It’s terrible. We have no alternative for them."

Applied Survey Research, a California-based nonprofit social research firm that completed the 2007 and 2009 censuses, will compile the results and present a final report in April. The firm will conduct a phone survey to help determine the number of "hidden homeless" — people "squatting" on private property or living with others because they can’t afford their own residences.

This year’s census will cost $86,000 and includes paying 300 formerly homeless people in need of work $10 an hour to help volunteers in the count, Fuller-Hallauer said.

Meanwhile, outreach workers will continue their efforts to get more homeless people into housing.

Straight from the Streets has accepted Rhodes into its case management program, Lera-Randle El said, and an apartment will be ready for him to move into on Wednesday.

"He’ll have some adjusting to do, and he’ll get a lot of monitoring," she said. "It’s a difficult adjustment to go from the street or shelter to your own place."

Contact reporter Lynnette Curtis at lcurtis@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0285.