FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Nicole Daniels
Office: 719.266.8300 ext.103
Cell: 616.260.6097
Email:
ndaniels@agrm.org
CITYGATE NETWORK ISSUES 22ND ANNUAL SNAPSHOT
SURVEY OF THE HOMELESS
Data reveals never-before-homeless and victims of physical violence seeking assistance.
Colorado Springs, Colo. (
Nov. 23, 2011) —
Nearly one in five people experiencing homelessness (21%) have been the victims
of physical violence within the past twelve months. According to the 22nd
annual
Snapshot Survey from Citygate Network, those reporting such recent
assaults have risen 6 percent from the same time last year.
“It’s
not uncommon for the stress of personal economic woes to trigger anger and
aggressive behavior,” said Association of Gospel Rescue Missions President John
Ashmen. “It’s quite possible that the uptick in physical violence that mission
guests are reporting is due to a friend or family member’s feeling of
desperation and helplessness accompanying their unemployment and
underemployment.”
The survey, completed in October by almost 19,000
individuals at 114 gospel rescue missions in North America, provides a valuable
snapshot of those seeking assistance from rescue missions. According to the
2011
Snapshot Survey data, 35 percent
of people experiencing homelessness on a given night are homeless for the first
time. Furthermore, 17 percent identify themselves as not currently homeless,
suggesting a level of need congruent with those on the brink of homelessness.
“Unfortunately,
nothing in the report is a huge surprise,” Ashmen added. “The plight of the
desperate and destitute is continuing—and our member missions are on the front
lines, caring for the casualties of poverty and poor choices. Our member
missions are pretty much filled to capacity, sleeping people on mats in common
space when they run out of beds in their dorms. And rarely are there empty
chairs at their tables whenever meals are served. In fact, many missions are
now also sending boxes of food into the surrounding neighborhoods on a regular
basis.”
Ashmen
continues, “Some public figures like to give the impression that government
programs are curbing homelessness and hunger. We certainly aren’t seeing
it.”
“This year just over 2,000 people stayed in our
shelter who have never been homeless before,” said Bill Roscoe, Boise Rescue
Mission executive director. “We’ve seen quite a significant increase in numbers
with women and children. In two years the average daily population in our
women’s and children shelter more than doubled.”
While single individuals represent the largest
served population (86% of total surveyed), women with children are still the
most frequently served family unit (52% of total families). Couples without
children grew by 8 percent from the previous year, to 20 percent of total families.
Lastly, 12 percent of families are men with children, an increase of 3 percent
from the previous year.
“Unemployment and poverty is so severe in West
Virginia,” said Rex Whiteman CEO of Charleston’s Union Mission Ministries. “We
are feeding close to 50,000 individuals (15,000 families) a month who are at
risk of becoming homeless. Many of these people simply have a roof over their
heads, are merely existing and with difficulty trying to make it through life.”
The characteristics of sheltered homeless
individuals are much different than those of sheltered families. Individuals
are more likely to be White (50%) men (74%) over the age of 30 (67%), often
caught in the web of addiction and/or mental illness (30%), and have seen
a breakdown of family support. Some can be classified as chronically homeless
(27%), experiencing homelessness three or more times before (24%), but a higher
percentage (35%) is homeless for the very first time.
Among the people surveyed, 14 percent are veterans,
25 percent of which served in Vietnam. Eighty-two percent of all individuals
come to the mission daily and a wide majority of the sample prefers to receive
assistance from an agency with a spiritual emphasis.
Every year, faith-based ministries that are members
of Citygate Network serve between 40 and 50 million meals, provide 15–20 million nights of
lodging, distribute more than 25 million pieces of clothing, bandage the wounds
of hundreds of abuse victims, and graduate close to 20,000 men and women from
addiction-recovery programs and into productive living.
Founded in 1906, Colorado Springs-based Citygate Network is North America’s oldest and largest network of independent crisis shelters and rehabilitation centers, offering radical hospitality in the name of Jesus. With more than 300 member ministries, Citygate Network exists to provide the vision, education, training, resources, guidance, representation, and nexus for missions and kindred ministries that are moving people in destitute conditions or desperate situations from human suffering to human flourishing through the process of gospel-powered life transformation. For more information or to locate a Citygate Network member organization, see www.citygatenetwork.org, or call (719) 266-8300.
# # #
Snapshot Survey Homeless Statistical Comparison
Individuals Surveyed: 18,771
| Participating Mission: 114
| Families with children: 1,840 | Individuals in
long-term rehab: 4,883
2011
2010 2009 2008
Gender (of
total mission population)
Male 74% 75% 75% 74%
Female 26% 25% 25% 26%
Age Groups (of
total mission population)
Under 18 7% 9% 9% 12%
18–25 9% 9% 8% 9%
26–35 18% 15% 17% 18%
36–45 25% 22% 25% 26%
46–65 39% 40% 38% 31%
65+ 3% 4% 3% 4%
Race/Ethnic Groups (of
total mission population)
White/Caucasian 50% - - -
Black or African American 34% - - -
Hispanic, Latin, or Spanish origin 9% - - -
Asian 1% - - -
American Indian or Alaskan Native 2% - - -
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander 0% - - -
Other or 2+ races 3% - - -
Single individuals (of
total mission population) 86% - - -
Women/Children/Families
(of family units identified)
Couples 20% 12% 13% 15%
Women with children 52% 57% 60% 66%
Men with children 12% 9% 9% 5%
Intact families 17% 22% 18% 14%
Veteran
Status (of
total mission population)
Veterans (male) 13% 16% 19% 18%
Veterans (female) 1% 4% 4% 3%
Of
veterans identified:
Served in Korea 5% - - -
Served in Vietnam 25% - - -
Served in Persian Gulf 13% - - -
Iraq or Afghanistan War 6% - - -
Homeless
Status (of
total mission population)
Not currently homeless 17% - - -
Currently homeless 83% - - -
Of currently homeless:
Less than 3 months 31% - - -
3 to 6 months 21% - - -
6 months to 1 year 20% - - -
More than 1 year 27% - - -
Never before homeless 35% 37% 37% 33%
Homeless once previously 24% 25% 25% 24%
Homeless twice previously 17% 16% 16% 18%
Homeless three-plus times previously 24% 22% 22% 25%
Other
Information
(of total mission population)
Struggles with mental illness 30% - - -
Victim of physical violence in last 12 months 21% 15% 17% 18%
Prefer spiritual emphasis in services 80% 82% 83% 76%
Comes daily to the mission 82% 84% 80% 77%