Will Shelter Supply Meet Demand This Winter?

by Shannon Moriarty · 2008-11-13 05:31:00 UTC
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Shelter directors and food pantry coordinators from New Jersey to LA are worried. Just as they are seeing a spike in earlier-than-usual requests, the tanking economy has donors scaling back on charitable donations.

It's the perfect storm... more people are in need of services than ever before just as the well is drying up.

Glenda Kirkland, the founder of Isaiah House, a family homeless shelter in East Orange, New Jersey, is concerned. Her organization is already turning away ten families a day in need of assistance... and it's not even cold yet. She told New Jersey Magazine:

"The malaise in Wall Street is very much evident at our level," said Kirkland. People are staying in shelters longer because they cannot find jobs, meaning others wait longer to get in. And while she says there will undoubtedly be a need for more accommodation, she doesn't think that's the answer. More subsidies to keep people in their homes -- extended unemployment benefits, a few extra hundred dollars a month -- can make the difference.

Shelters are expecting to see even higher numbers early next year because people who have lost their jobs will run through unemployment benefits and savings to avoid homelessness, said Elizabeth Hall, president of Homeless Solutions, Inc. in Morristown. Those that have been evicted will stay with family and friends as long as possible, Hall said. Eventually, they wear out their welcome.

Watch more from Isaiah House:

Shannon Moriarty has worked in various homeless shelters and service organizations around the country. She is a graduate student studying housing and urban policy at Tufts University.
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