Collected Item: “‘We all need to brace ourselves’: Experts fear pandemic could spur dramatic spike in homelessness”
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‘We all need to brace ourselves’: Experts fear pandemic could spur dramatic spike in homelessness
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Text story written by Jessica Myers for the Luce Foundation: Southwest Stories Fellowship
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For more than three decades, André House just west of downtown has provided food, showers, temporary housing and other services to Arizonans experiencing homelessness or poverty.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of families seeking such services has almost doubled, said Ash Uss, the faith-based nonprofit’s coordinator of advocacy and partnerships.
“We have had families who show up and say, ‘I was just evicted,’ or ‘I'm about to be evicted,’ or ‘We're living out of our car,’” Uss said. “The need is greater than it ever was.”
A July report from University of Arizona researchers suggests the spike in people seeking homeless services at André House and elsewhere in metro Phoenix may be just the beginning. Researchers found the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic shutdown could increase the state's homeless population – about 11,000 as of January – by 16% to 42%.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of families seeking such services has almost doubled, said Ash Uss, the faith-based nonprofit’s coordinator of advocacy and partnerships.
“We have had families who show up and say, ‘I was just evicted,’ or ‘I'm about to be evicted,’ or ‘We're living out of our car,’” Uss said. “The need is greater than it ever was.”
A July report from University of Arizona researchers suggests the spike in people seeking homeless services at André House and elsewhere in metro Phoenix may be just the beginning. Researchers found the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic shutdown could increase the state's homeless population – about 11,000 as of January – by 16% to 42%.
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#Southweststories #Lucegrant #ASU
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Jessica Myers
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2020-09-01