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Number of Homeless Families Up 4 Years in a Row in Springfield
February 15, 2010
SPRINGFIELD - The annual count of the homeless in Springfield had mixed results in January, with the number of individuals continuing to decline while homelessness among families in shelters rose for the fourth consecutive year, according to an article posted on MassLive.com.
Advocates for the homeless, however, said the numbers could have been worse, given the continuing recession, high unemployment and foreclosures.
The city, in its annual “point-in-time” count of the homeless, conducted Jan. 27, found that 203 individuals were either in shelters or on the street, said Geraldine McCafferty, the city’s acting director of housing. That compared to 213 individuals in the previous count in January of 2009.
In the latest count, there were 10 homeless individuals found literally on the streets, as compared to 12 people found on the streets last year, she said.
Homelessness among families, however, has risen annually since 2006 and has roughly doubled since 2008. The count is conducted annually by outreach workers and volunteers.
There were 139 families in shelters in Springfield on the night of the count, totaling 449 adults and children, according to McCafferty’s report. That compared to 107 families (294 adults and children) last year and 67 families in 2008.
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