Charleston, South Carolina (WCSC) – The statewide homelessness report shows an 18{ea2cba5bdf6fe62bbe85e24807814144a71e77d3ae7311fbc27a008558d1372c} increase in the homeless population in recent years.
The latest annual report from the Interagency Council on Homelessness in South Carolina, a statewide network of advocates and service providers working to end homelessness, highlights trends and demographics from 2021. Focused. In 2020 he is up 18{ea2cba5bdf6fe62bbe85e24807814144a71e77d3ae7311fbc27a008558d1372c} from 10,969.
Uplift Charleston founder Aaron Comstock works with volunteers and donations to provide survival essentials for those experiencing homelessness. He and those who work with him meet all kinds of people on the streets.
“We believe the number they found was 13,000, and we think that number is likely to increase by somewhere in that range by 15 to 20,” says Comstock. “We’re talking about homeless families, homeless children, homeless veterans, single mothers, not specifics. We’re talking about people on the streets. , you have to put those names on those faces and really make a difference.”
click here To read the full report on the SCICH website.
Single adults accounted for 90{ea2cba5bdf6fe62bbe85e24807814144a71e77d3ae7311fbc27a008558d1372c} of those served, according to the report, but the total includes more than 2,000 children. The average age of a child is about 8 years old and the average age of an adult is about 46 years old.
More than half of people recorded as experiencing homelessness say they have been in permanent shelter for at least a year. About 3 minutes later he answered 1, but it was his first time being homeless.
Comstock says donations and overnight warming shelters are mitigation measures, but solutions require more work. We invite you to get involved in securing funding for solutions. Comstock says they could be transitional homes or affordable housing.
“We are not talking for life or giving them a home. Build your income and get out,” says Comstock.
Comstock encourages people to advocate for these changes at the local and state level. He suggests letter-writing campaigns and organizations that attend council meetings to shed light on the need for legislation to combat the problem of homelessness.
“When a homeless person gets an income, will they find something they can buy now that they are out of their temporary home? is another thing,” says Comstock.
This report also includes point-in-time statistics recorded on January 26, 2022. That one night, he counted 3,608 people experiencing homelessness in South Carolina. Especially in Charleston, nonprofits are often overwhelmed trying to help people experiencing homelessness, Comstock said.
“There’s nowhere for them to go. We have one homeless shelter, but it’s usually full,” Comstock says. “We have to go to council meetings, write senators, go to the representative office and demand. This is a problem. What are you going to do to solve it We will be donating clothes, coats, jackets, jeans, gloves, hats, ie food, but we really need help to solve the homeless problem and that could come through the legislative process.”
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