homelessness a considerable problem....

Homelessness has been a problem since Biblical times. A problem that likely will not go away anytime soon. However, due to the current rocky financial climate being at its worst since the Great Depression, many experts are predicting that it will become more and more prevalent.

And like areas spanning across the world, Erie County is not immune.

In 2007, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness Web site, a total of 671,859 people were reported as being homeless. While it is not in the millions, it remains nonetheless a troubling number. Especially when considering those who were left out of this registry.

More than 16,000 of those people were from Pennsylvania. That's 13 people for every 10,000. That may shift the perspective some, but it's still 13 people without roofs over their heads. Thirteen people who don't know where they'll end up come nightfall.

"Every year homelessness in our area grows," said social service worker Nicole Northrop, who has had firsthand exposure to the plight.

"It hasn't just been in the past year but every year homelessness in our area grows," said Northrop. She is the program supervisor at Erie County's Project Hope.

Run by the Erie United Methodist Association (EUMA), Project Hope reaches out to the local homeless population. It is responsible for the Rainbow Connection Thrift Store, the Liberty House for Veterans and the Homeless Intake Tracking System, among other things (such as a 24-hour hotline).

A bevy of reasons surrounds what causes a person to become homeless. Some of these could include mental illness, poverty or general unfortunate circumstances. Because of the present economic climate, though, reasons such as recent unemployment or the foreclosure crisis might be more notable than they were in the past.

"In my agency I work with a variety of people," said Northrop. "Therefore their reasons for homelessness vary greatly. My average client can vary from a family of four in a shelter to a single gentleman living on the streets. Unemployment is a top reason for not only homelessness but keeping people homeless as well."

Northrop said the foreclosure rate is adding to the problem, though presently has yet to be much of a problem in Erie. "As far as foreclosure we haven't seen much homelessness due to this, mainly due to the economy a lot of the clients we see can't afford to own a home, let alone have it foreclosed," she said.

Other reasons, as previously addressed, may include mental illnesses and chronic disorders such as alcoholism. These reign supreme, Northrop has found firsthand, in contributing motives as to why someone might become homeless.

"One of the top reasons for homelessness in our area is mental illness, with drug addiction and alcoholism running a close second. These issues make it very difficult for individuals to seek help," Northrop said.

True enough: an average 22 percent of the homeless are estimated to be mentally ill, according to a fact sheet published by the National Coalition for the Homeless in June 2008. An additional 37 percent are believed to be substance abusers of some sort.

These qualities can often lead to "chronic homelessness," that meaning a homeless person that will, more likely than not, continue remaining homeless throughout the majority of his or her life.

Someone who is chronically homeless may suffer from a serious mental disorder such as schizophrenia and may have sought treatment "dozens" of times, constantly following a destructive pattern of leaving and entering treatment programs.

According to the "Fact Checker," a publication by the National Alliance to End Homelessness in March 2007, about 10 percent of all homeless can be defined as being mentally ill.

And while 10 percent may seem trivial in the scheme of things, it isn't at all. Especially when realizing that they use up 50 percent of available government-issued resources.

For the other people that come to utilize the tools a community offers to its local homeless, their stays are fleeting by contrast. The majority of people who will seek homeless services will usually stay once or twice for a period of about a month and never return again.

Lisa Zompa Nietpulski is the director of development at the Erie City Mission. Her view is similar to that of Northrop's, having served also on the frontline­­­­­ of this constant battle.

"The number of homeless people has kept fairly steady here at the Erie City Mission, although the demographics have changed," Nietpulski said. She then went on to add that "while we don't necessarily see a rise in homelessness, we do see a drastic rise in the number of people who come to us for free lunch, emergency groceries, clothing and other basic necessities."

Newer reasons, such as foreclosure and an unemployment rate that just peaked above the 8.4 percent mark as of February 2009 (with layoffs from major corporations such as General Electric and Edinboro's own Chromalox plant likely contributing to that) have yet to make a sizable impact on the base of the mission's subjects.

The Erie City Mission is often what first pops into people's minds when they think of the town's homeless. For many confronted with the situation, it is the first place they turn.

It bills itself as a "Christian, non-profit organization" that "provides quality services and care that restores individuals, families and communities impacted by the effects of addictions, poverty, homelessness, and lack of hope."

The famed evangelist Billy Sunday helped create the mission on a stop in Erie in 1911. The program has expanded since then, with two buildings existing at the inner-city locations of 1017 and 1023 French Street, where they can easily be accessed by their clients.

Included is Hope Center Addiction Treatment Services, which is a "fully licensed in-patient drug and alcohol program for men and out-patient program for men and women."

In addition to that, there is a meal served to the general public at noon everyday, as mentioned above. Nietpulski estimated the figure of recipients for the free lunch at around 200.

Fourteen-hundred families visit the Family Care Center for emergency groceries and other basic necessities. Of the 600 beds the mission offers, 72 of these are taken every night.

Nietpulski hypothesizes 2,000 people in Erie County can be considered to be officially homeless.

"I say 'officially' because it's very difficult to get an accurate count," she acknowledged. Their circumstances can change frenetically, such as going from living with a friend or relative before hitting the streets once again.

And appearing back at the mission's doorstep, looking for a place to stay.

The other building contains the Men's New Life Program, which has 11 steps to help participants get their lives back on track, including an internship and "spiritual life development." It can last anywhere from "six months to two years."

When it comes to the usual triggers of homelessness, Nietpulski echoed similar sentiments by Northrop and the National Coalition for the Homeless.

"We are seeing a lot more younger men (early 20s) who are homeless because of their battle with the disease of addiction," she said.

In the 2001 book "Helping America's Homeless," problems involving alcohol are cited as a major reason for homelessness. In a survey documenting factors of homelessness, 62 percent said they had alcohol problems in the past.

Although somewhat outdated in the several years since its release, much of its information remains relevant and useful. The four authors of the book are all affiliated with the Urban Institute, which is a non-profit policy research and educational organization established in Washington, D.C., in 1968.

The book addresses questions concerning the number of homeless, the demographics of the homeless, the effects of "alcohol, drug and mental health problems on characteristics and circumstances of homeless people," child and youth homelessness and other components of the problem as a whole.

When it comes to looking at other traits that tend to lead to homelessness, research looked at by the authors pinpointed physical health and nutrition problems. Some of these result from self-inflicted conditions such as childhood lifestyle.

Still, mental illnesses (most predominately when combined with other factors, alcoholism and drug addictions and so forth) stay as the chief reason.

The Urban Institute also examined a significant division of subgroups, such as people who experienced such severe mental problems as youth that they required hospitalization and those who took advantage of the government's programs for the disabled homeless, like transitional housing or unemployment benefits.

Their findings showed that those surveyed who had substance use but no mental health problems had a bigger likelihood of histories with incarceration and earlier trouble with the law, as well as to show signs early in adolescence of being heavy users of alcohol and possibly also of drugs.

But those who battled both strains of demons were found to have "reported the highest levels both of negative experiences and of circumstances that revealed their extreme vulnerability-to hunger, criminal victimization and health problems associated with living in places not meant for habitation."

For charities such as Project Hope and the Erie City Mission, the rough economy brings in new, different problems. Not only do they have more people to take care of, but their donors may be holding their pocketbooks shut, cautious to make that extra expense for charity.

Nietpulski and Northrop have the same anxiety. Many other charity workers across the county and across the country likely echo their bleak views.

"So far though, we have been very fortunate at the Erie City Mission because donors seem to understand that since times are tough, their donations to us are needed more than ever," Nietpulski said.

Northrop was grimmer in her expectations.

"Unfortunately the need will continue to go up, and unfortunately the government resources will go down," she said. "Donations will be critical to shelters, food banks, and other programs."

When some people think of donations, they often imagine clothing drives or some fat check. In truth, it doesn't have to be like that.

Northrop described the products she usually provides her clients. They cover a whole mish-mosh of necessities that may slip most people's minds that can be purchased with a few spare dollars.

"[They] can vary from coffee, food, socks, coats, gloves, hats, hygiene items, condom, and other items depending on their situation," she said. Nietpulski also mentioned that the Erie City Mission provides the same kind of items most people take for-granted: food, clothing and personal care items.

"The shortage of affordable housing makes it more difficult for people to exit homelessness and increases the risk of homelessness for vulnerable individuals and families," the policy guide said.

APRIL 14, 2009