Homelessness on the rise in the Fredericksburg area

BY AMY FLOWERS UMBLE

The number of homeless in the Fredericksburg area is pushing 500 based on a survey taken last week.

Erik Nelson, Fredericksburg senior planner, gave preliminary results yesterday of the latest point-in-time count, in which area localities surveyed the homeless over a 24-hour period.

The numbers are still coming in, but so far the count found about 50 more homeless people than last year.

Nelson discussed the results at a lunch meeting with local officials yesterday at the Thurman Brisben Center, the region's shelter for men, women and children.

All area elected officials were invited to the shelter in the city's Battlefield Industrial Park, but only four City Council members showed up.

There were about 20 representatives from governmental and social service agencies and nonprofit organizations.

Fredericksburg Councilman Matt Kelly said that it's time to take discussions about the homeless "to the next level."

He and other members of the George Washington Regional Commission, a planning agency, had hope to rev up discussions with yesterday's homeless awareness workshop.

Each of the area shelters--the Brisben Center, Hope House, the Haven, a shelter for domestic abuse victims, and the cold night shelter--spoke about the people they serve and why they're needed.

Shelter officials all said they've had to turn people away during the past year, including women and children. And as the need goes up, federal money goes down, they said.

"Now, we really rely on the local governments," said Pam Garrett, director of Hope House.

Numbers show that the problem is growing beyond city boundaries. At the Brisben Center last year, most users came from Stafford County, followed by Spotsylvania and Fredericksburg.

And in the point-in-time count, Stafford reported 164 homeless schoolchildren. Spotsylvania reported 99. Caroline reported 26. Fredericksburg and King George County's numbers aren't available yet.

"This is a regional problem," Kelly said. "This is no longer--as it's been perceived in the past--just a city problem."

He said the GWRC hopes to find regional solutions to homelessness. The commission wants to buy a homeless management information system, a computer program that helps track the homeless and the services they use.

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The area's Continuum of Care Committee counts the homeless every year in a point-in-time count, over a 24-hour period. The numbers help determine how much federal money will go to local shelters, said Erik Nelson, head of the COC. Each locality is responsible for its own count.

In the counties, the surveys are handled by the departments of social services. They survey anyone who comes into the agencies for services on the day of the count and check with public schools.

Homeless people were also surveyed at the shelters, including the cold night shelter, which was open last Thursday night. Fredericksburg officials also went to known homeless camps.

The Thurman Brisben Center takes men, women and children who haven't had drugs or alcohol at intake. Also the person must be able to prove they live in the region, must be on medication for any mental illness and must be able to be independent. Residents may stay for up to 90 days.

Hope House takes in women and children and helps women find day care, employment and, eventually, a place to live. Residents may stay for two years. It provides emergency food and diapers for people on the verge of homelessness.

The Haven, a domestic violence shelter, serves women and children fleeing an abusive situation. Male victims can also be sheltered at a different location.

Cold night shelter: opens when the temperature dips below 25 degrees. It houses the chronically homeless.

Micah Hospitality Center is open Monday through Friday, 9-11 a.m. and provides showers, food, clothes, a phone for local calls, a place to pick up mail, medical screenings and information about community resources.

Date published: 2/1/2007

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