Item
‘We all need to brace ourselves’: Experts fear pandemic could spur dramatic spike in homelessness
Media
Title (Dublin Core)
‘We all need to brace ourselves’: Experts fear pandemic could spur dramatic spike in homelessness
Description (Dublin Core)
By Jessica Myers | Luce Foundation: Southwest Stories Fellowship
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%.
Date (Dublin Core)
September 1, 2020
Creator (Dublin Core)
Jessica Myers
Contributor (Dublin Core)
Jessica Myers
Event Identifier (Dublin Core)
Cronkite-Luce Fellowship
Partner (Dublin Core)
Arizona State University
Type (Dublin Core)
Text story
Controlled Vocabulary (Dublin Core)
English
NGOs (non-profits)
English
Government Federal
English
Economy
English
Social Issues
Curator's Tags (Omeka Classic)
homelessness
unemployment
Arizona
funding
services
Andre House
Contributor's Tags (a true folksonomy) (Friend of a Friend)
Luce Grant
Collection (Dublin Core)
Luce Grant
Unemployment
Exhibit (Dublin Core)
Southwest Stories>Schools, Services & Small Businesses
Southwest Stories>Jessica Myers
Date Submitted (Dublin Core)
09/19/2020
Date Modified (Dublin Core)
09/21/2020
10/22/2020
07/15/2021
This item was submitted on September 19, 2020 by Jessica Myers using the form “Share Your Story” on the site “A Journal of the Plague Year”: https://covid-19archive.org/s/archive
Click here to view the collected data.