Homeless Numbers in Chicago and Some Other Cities
Many people are asking if there are more, or fewer, homeless people now because of the pandemic. The general consensus in Chicago and other cities is that there are more homeless now—but we do not know exactly this moment how many more, how they became homeless, and whether we can somehow document and guarantee new numbers reported.
It is time once again for the annual “one-night count of Chicago’s homeless population” which is supposed to give a reasonably accurate number of the homeless who are sleeping in shelters, outdoors, and on the trains and buses in January of 2022. Although the 2021 count was done on a reduced basis and therefore did not show accurate numbers, according to an article out this morning, tonight’s count will be done the traditional way (https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2022/01/27/chicago-annual-homless-count-pandemic-covid-19-population-spike/).
Maura McCauley with the City of Chicago’s Department of Family and Support Services is quoted in that article as saying the city team members count the homeless, survey their needs, and consider what might be needed in the shelters based on the responses from the homeless. “Based on what we were seeing pre-COVID, and now the exacerbations of the pandemic, I would not be surprised if there was an increase,” McCauley said.
What was happening before COVID-19? We have good pre-pandemic estimates, as noted in the report on figures found on the website of the Chicago Coalition for the homeless. They state, “An estimated 58,273 people were experiencing homelessness in Chicago, IL in 2019, immediately prior to the COVID–19 outbreak, per an analysis by CCH using data from the Chicago Homeless Management Information System and the U.S. Census American Community Survey (https://www.chicagohomeless.org/estimate-of-homeless-people-in-chicago/). The numbers for recent previous years were showing a slight decrease.
The Coalition also states, “The COVID–19 pandemic is pushing many Chicagoans into homelessness, but just how many is still unknown. While this report shows declining numbers of people experiencing homelessness, it is important to note that all the findings are based on 2019 data, collected prior to the COVID-19 outbreak.”
What do the figures show recently for Chicago? How much has COVID-19 increased the number of Chicago homeless? What will be some of the needs of the newly-homeless who were housed citizens before the pandemic? What will the city need to make available in the shelters to accommodate at least some of the new homeless? Tonight’s count should answer at least of these questions, at least to some degree.
Said Jessica B., a homeless advocate in Edgewater, “We are seeing more ‘new homeless’ in this neighborhood all the time.” About once a week we notice there are 3 to 4 different people we have never seen before suddenly dropping in at McDonald’s for coffee several times a day. They are carrying backpacks, wearing clothes that do not match, and have with them no cash to buy food. They wander around trying to get money from people. They are asking around and they are hungry for information on where to get clothing, food, shelter, medications, support, and housing. They ask everybody until they run into other homeless willing to share information and addresses, websites, rides, and clues to the puzzle of surviving without a roof in this city.
In Chicago, there are many encampments visible in all parts of the city, and this visibility represents only a hint of the reality—namely a lot more tents and lean-to’s. According to Jessica B., the tents and sleeping bags on the sidewalk are an obvious sign of an increase in the numbers of homeless. She emphasizes the encampments are like the proverbial tip of the iceberg. “Just imagine how many people there are who are hiding their sleeping spots and their makeshift homes,” she explains.
A nursing student and member of an ad hoc group of concerned citizens traveling around to help the homeless, she has seen more serious health issues—including more COVID-19 cases—and has been working hard at getting persons in need into the agencies and hospitals where they need to go. She is happy to remind people that homelessness has a few key elements that are keeping the non-housed safe from the pandemic: lots of fresh air, distance from other persons who are infected, awareness of true assistance out there—plus the knowledge of how to sort through all the claims and find the persons who “really know the score” and can find medication, emergency supplies, and phone numbers of people who actually help.
In other cities, the number of homeless has in fact been shown to be on the rise. A check of just a couple of other urban centers shows similar issues, impressions, and situations.
In Denver, for example, according to a new report the number of first-time homeless persons doubled between 2020 and 2021. Speaking of obvious signs of persons living with no housing, the figures are for people sleeping outside—not for people living in shelters. The Metro Denver Homeless Initiative reveals about 40% of the city's homeless population was living outdoors compared to previous counts of around 25% (https://www.yahoo.com/news/first-time-homelessness-doubles-metro-120039636.html).
In Los Angeles, the number of homeless is high—very high indeed. Recently, an article stated, “There are currently at least 63,706 people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County, according to a count by LAHSA in 2020 — a 13% increase from 2019. (As in Chicago, the 2021 count was cut back because of the pandemic.) In the city of Los Angeles alone, there are over 41,000 homeless persons (https://laist.com/news/housing-homelessness/understanding-homelessness-city-los-angeles).
In San Francisco, there is a marked increase in the number of homeless recently. Figures there come from a biennial count rather than annual. The latest data available—from 2019—shows that “8,035 homeless individuals were counted in San Francisco's 2019 point-in-time street and shelter count. This was an increase of more than 14% over the 2017 count” (https://sfgov.org/scorecards/safety-net/homeless-population#:~:text=8%2C035%20homeless%20individuals%20were%20counted%20in%20San%20Francisco%27s,of%20more%20than%2014%25%20over%20the%202017%20count.).
As in Chicago and other cities, the homeless persons living on the streets have been safer from the pandemic than those living in the shelters.
Of huge concern in the Bay Area now is the reality many homeless advocates had been fearing: COVID-19 infection is targeting the shelters. Trapped together, homeless residents of shelters provide a community of hosts for the virus. COVID-19 can go from person to person. As a recent article on the COVID-19 infections in the Bay Area shelters reminds readers, “And homeless patients are more likely to be older and have chronic health conditions, which puts them at heightened risk of severe COVID symptoms if they are infected” (https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/realestate/covid-surge-outbreaks-hit-multiple-bay-area-homeless-shelters/ar-AAStyan).
After tonight’s one-night count of Chicago’s homeless population there will be more information on need and a new estimate of the homeless number for 2022. We can hope that more vaccinations, placement into temporary and permanent housing, various resources (food, clothing, medication), job training, career counseling, mental illness and addiction counseling, referrals for therapy, connections to support groups, counseling on insurance and healthcare programs, and many other services can be provided as a result of the information to be gathered.