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Defined by the
McKinney Act, Flagstaff has:
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1,300 homeless families |
| 400 homeless NAU
students |
| 500 homeless
children |
America's homeless people
facts are:
1.
25 % of the homeless population become mentally ill because
of their situation.
2.
35 % homeless are veterans.
3.
60 % homeless women are single parents.
4.
Flagstaff has 1,300 homeless families and no rent
control laws.
5.
NAU has 400 homeless students and no affordable
housing.
6.
Three hots, one cot, and two hours of ear-banging is
enabling.
7.
One out of six homeless people attempt suicide.
8.
Flagstaff has 550 homeless children, both parents
work to pay the rent.
9.
60 % of Americans have a substance abuse problem.
10.
40 % of homeless do not have a substance abuse
problem.
There are over 500,000 war veterans and counting
currently homeless in
USA a bitter end for persons who protected our country.
We can do better!
A Brother In The Struggle
William Tinker
Last school year we had 530 students who
qualified for homeless services in the Flagstaff Unified
Schools. Of which 25 students were living in a
campground/car or the forest. 112 students were living in
the lovely motels on Rt. 66; 81 students were living with
someone other than a parent or legal guardian (this includes
the teenager who ends up "couch bouncing" because for
whatever reason left the parents home. 175 students were
with a parent but had to live with other families because
either rent was out of the price range or credit/criminal
backgrounds kept them from having their own home. 33
students lived in what we call Substandard Housing (without
utilities when they should have them) example: family in
town lived in a trailer but could not afford the deposit on
utilities (had major past due bill) so they paid a neighbor
money to run an extension cord from his home to theirs and
heated up water in the microwave to bath. 104 students were
in shelters
We record the homeless situation that families
are in when we first meet them, but families may go through
several situations i.e. car- motel- doubled up- before they
get stabilized or move from Flag. These are all stats from
last school year; but I am seeing an increase in the number
of families I am working with this year.
Bobbie Anderson
HomeStart Liaison
(928)606-1515
banderson@fusd1.org
Empower the people!
Flagstaff needs a shelter that empowers the people with a
center that provides:
1.
counseling,
2.
job training,
3.
job search tools and services such as:
a.
mail
b.
telephone
c.
resume writing
4.
a substance abuse treatment facility.
Flagstaff’s new, proposed
homeless people shelter should do more than enable people
with three hots and a cot.
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