Posted 9/5/01 Rural and no home: 414 in homeless shelters in central Minnesota, includes Chisago/Isanti counties By MaryHelen Swanson A new report from the Wilder Research Center shows the number of homeless people in Minnesota continues to grow. Chisago County is included in the data on Central Minnesota that shows there were 414 people in homeless shelters on Oct. 26, 2000. Of those, 151 were men, 89 women, 163 children and 11 youth on their own. The percentage of homeless adults in this region who are employed is 26 percent, with at least 14 percent working full time. Fifty-four percent of these homeless people say they cannot find housing they can afford. Thirty-five percent of them could afford to pay $400 or more for rent. Fifty-three percent of the 414 homeless have serious mental illness. An alarming 46 percent are women who are fleeing abuse. Central Minnesota also includes the counties of Isanti, Benton, Cass, Crow Wing, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Pine, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd, Wadena and Wright. The Wilder report, ěHomeless Adults and Children in Minnesota,î draws from interviews with more than 2,000 homeless adults and outlines major trends since the survey was first done in 1991. The study finds strong evidence that housing affordability plays a growing role in homelessness and in the rise of the ëworking homeless.î The report also examines the role of mental illness and substance abuse in homelessness. Third, it finds a strong correlation between being abused, institutionalized or homeless as a child, and being homeless as an adult. ěThere is no such thing as a typical homeless person, but there are some common pathways in homelessness.î said Greg Owen, who has directed the statewide survey since 1991. ěThe better we understand those pathways, the more effectively we can work to end homelessness.î The number of people in emergency shelters, battered womenís shelters and transitional housing programs has risen steadily and substantially throughout the decade, and grew 36 percent just since 1997. On the night of the most recent survey in October 2000, 7,589 people were counted in shelters, transitional housing programs and on the streets. Children represented 43 percent of this total. ěThe numbers are important in order to understand the magnitude of the issue, but the heart of this study is to understand more about homelessness and the people who are experiencing it.î said Owen. ëIn other words, what will it take to reach the day when we no longer have thousands of Minnesotans on any given day with no stable, secure place to live?î Rise in the working homeless The working poor make up a growing share of Minnesotaís homeless adults, according to the report. The latest survey shows that 26 percent are working full time, compared to only eight percent in1991. The proportion is the same for homeless parents who have children- 26 percent are working full time. More than one-quarter of homeless adults report that their main source of income is from steady employment. Their wages tend to be low; 68 percent earn less than $10/hour and 39 percent earn less than $8/hour. To afford an average one-bedroom apartment in the Twin Cities area (about $660 at the time of the survey) would require an hourly wage of about $12.70. Fifty-one percent of homeless parents report that the scarcity of apartments with more than two bedrooms is a major barrier that keeps them from regaining stable housing. A recent Chisago County housing study shows there are few, if any, available rental units in the area at any cost. The study showed that wages among the major employers in the North Branch area ranged from $6.25/hr to $11/hour. In Rush City, the report showed that some employers offer wages up to $16/hour. Rush City School employee salaries range from $26,000-$48,000/year. In North Branch, city planning officials believe the price of a new home should be close to $130,000 to cover costs of city services. ěThe sheer cost of housing, compared to income, appears to be the biggest hurdle for as many as 20 percent of homeless adults,î Owen said. ěThese are people who do not appear to have other serious barriers such as long-term employment, no high school diploma, serious physical or mental health problems or substance abuse. They simply cannot find a place they can afford.î Mental illness and substance abuse Mental illness and substance abuse appear to be growing factors in homelessness in Minnesota. The survey found that 36 percent of homeless adults have recently had serious mental health problems, up from 20 percent in 1994. Alcoholism continues to be a major factor in homelessness. One-fourth of all homeless women and nearly half of homeless men report current problems with alcohol. This is much higher than the general population; the Surgeon General estimates that in any given year, about five percent of adult Americans have an alcohol abuse disorder. The dual diagnosis of mental illness and substance abuse problems affects 14 percent of homeless adults in Minnesota. History of Child abuse, domestic abuse Traumatic experiences in childhood and youth are strikingly prevalent among homeless adults. One out of three reports being physically abused as a child, and one out of four reports being sexually abused. A total of about half (48 percent) either were abused as children, had a child before they were 18 or lived in an out-of-home placement as a youth. The single most common reason for women seeking temporary shelter is to flee an abusive partner. Thirty percent of adult women are homeless at least in part because of abuse in the past year. For 17 percent, abuse was a primary reason for leaving their last housing. The report draws from detailed interviews with about 2,270 homeless adults throughout the state, conducted on a single day by more than 500 trained volunteers. The research report and detailed survey responses are found at www.wilder.org/research. Wilder expects to publish a separate report focusing on homeless youth (not with their family) in the next few months. ©Post Review