Survey finds spike in Linn County homeless population

The number of people living on Linn County's streets hit a four-year high this summer, according to a count conducted two weeks ago.

"This is a spike," said Judy Stoffel,  manager of community building for the United Way of East Central Iowa. "We were actually on the decline" before the count the night of July 25.

The survey found 11 people living on the streets, up from 6 last July and just 3 in January. Since peaking at 13 in January 2008, "we were actually on the decline," Stoffel said.

“Usually we see two, three, but this year was phenomenal," said Russ Swain, a retired police officer who helps conduct the survey.

People staying at shelters tell staff where others may be spending the night outdoors, said Swain, who's confident there are many more on the streets than are counted.

"You name it," Swain said. "Under bridges, along creeks, down by Cedar Lake, Ellis Park."

"Our impression is we have more individuals living on the street," said Stoffel. She noted rain the night of July 25 may have sent some homeless people to find places to sleep indoors.

"Street counts can be particularly challenging," she said. "People may have found alternative places to be that we aren't aware of."

A check earlier this summer found many people sleeping on the grounds of Roosevelt Middle School in northwest Cedar Rapids, Swain said.

"They were dotted all over that hill, sleeping," he said. "We went back there since then and we found evidence they'd been there."

The most recent finding is consistent with an increase in homelessness over the past five years. Programs in the county served 5,802 homeless people in the year ending June 30, 2011, a 39-percent increase over four years.

The planning council is still compiling the full report, which also counts those living in shelters and transitional housing programs. January's survey found 341 people in shelters and transitional housing, 143 of them children.

The "point-in-time" counts are conducted every January and July since 2000 by the Linn County Continuum of Care Planning and Policy Council, a consortium of homeless-prevention programs.

The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) defines a emergency shelter as an overnight, temporary accommodation, while transitional programs are "designed to provide housing and appropriate support services to homeless persons to facilitate movement to independent living."

HUD requires the biannual surveys to help determine funding for local shelters and transitional programs, Stoffel said.

Fy11 Linn County Homeless Data Report

PIT Report January 25, 2012