Not always what it looks like: homelessness exists in Cortland

National statistics indicate that 700,000 Americans are homeless every night and that 31,000,000 live in hunger or on the edge of hunger. But what does homelessness look like in Cortland County? How many people are hungry? Most people see a picture of people sleeping on street vents, lined up at a community soup kitchen, or asking for change on the sidewalk when confronted with the idea homelessness and hunger. In our community, homelessness and hunger are much less obvious and often remain hidden.

As it turns out, the definition of “homelessness” for most institutions and government entities is different from that picture mentioned above of someone living under a bridge or out of a shopping cart. Generally homelessness is more appropriately measured by looking at the number of people in a given area that do not have permanent housing, or are undomiciled, even though that person may be living temporarily with friends or in a publically supported place. These situations often involve people who are transient, are recently released from jails or hospitals, or are victims of domestic violence. Mental health problems and substance abuse can play a part. These less obvious homeless move from place to place, living a few days here or there, or go from one eviction to the next. Their housing is not stable or settled and they do not become attached to their neighborhood or community.

For the past few years the Cortland community has done “a snapshot in time” homeless count on one night at the end of January, in order to count the number of homeless in our area in a way consistent with State and Federal guidelines. In 2007, 76 people, some also heads of household, were identified as “sheltered homeless”, while 3 were noted to be “unsheltered homeless”, almost all within the City of Cortland on that particular day. Given the limits of the count, more homeless were thought to be in the rural parts of the county or otherwise went unnoticed.

Similarly, people experiencing hunger are not typically seen begging on the streets of our villages. They do, however, regularly use food pantries, access reduced lunch programs in the schools, eat community meals at Loaves and Fishes, and receive WIC and Foodstamp benefits. In short, they do not have the means to adequately feed themselves or their families and look to community services for help. The Catholic Charities Community Food Pantry provided 79,615 meals in 2008 to 737 households, many with several children and elderly in their families. Lunch in the Park, another Catholic Charities program providing lunch for school aged children, served 21,882 lunches at several sites through out the county during the 2008 summer. The number of people requesting emergency food is increasing and changing and 60% of the people using the Community Food Pantry at Catholic Charities in 2008 had never used the pantry before.

So, now what do we do about it? There is no simple answer, but the first step is to work together as a community. Many of the community partners addressing the issues of homelessness and hunger, including Catholic Charities, are also part of the Cortland Area Communities that Care Coalition (CACTC). Ongoing efforts to alleviate homelessness in Cortland County are led by the Cortland Continuum of Care and tracked by the Community Assessment Team for the Cortland Counts process. Numerous local agencies that collaborate and share resources provide direct food and nutrition services to Cortland County residents. For more information about homelessness or hunger in Cortland, the programs or services of Catholic Charities, or the CACTC efforts, call Catholic Charities at 756-5992.

Marie Walsh is Executive Director of Catholic Charities in Cortland County.