From Bountiful alone, statistics just release indicate 142 children are living temporarily with friends or relatives, or in other non-permanent circumstances and are considered homeless.
Twenty-one children in Centerville are listed as in the same situation, as are 16 in Farmington, 393 in Layton, and 29 in Woods Cross, among the county’s communities.
This information is part of what mayors were due to receive as part of their monthly Council of Government meeting. Mayor Joe Johnson of Bountiful requested the meeting be held at the Food Pantry.
“We’re trying to make people aware that the Food Pantry exists,” said Pantry Operations Director Dave Karcher. “It’s all too common that people who have lived here for 10 years come in,” saying they were unaware the facility existed, he said.
“We distribute one million pounds of food a year, and 99.5 percent of that is by volunteers. We have no paid staff. All the hands-on labor is by volunteers,” he said.
County officials want to partner pantry awareness with the issue of homelessness in the county, says County Commissioner Louenda Downs. She co-chairs the county’s homelessness coordinating council with MaryAnn Nielson of the Davis School District.
“The common perception about low-cost, affordable housing is that it’s for drug addicts who live under the viaduct. These people need it for legitimate reasons,” he said of those being targeted locally.
For example, the pantry has two volunteers who the mayors were due to meet Wednesday night. They live at The Meadows, a complex for senior citizens and disabled people operated by the Davis Community Housing Authority.
“One was in a terrible car accident, suffered major brain trauma, is lucky to be alive. She is disabled,” Karcher said, but volunteers at the pantry.
“The other is 85 years old, and we too can use her services,” he said.
A third volunteer to be highlighted came to the pantry initially needing supplemental food assistance.
“As we got to know her better, we learned she was in an abusive relationship, had a child. We have a cooperative relationship with Safe Harbor (Domestic Violence Shelter), were able to solve her near-term problems with some food. But our case manager was able to get her into the Safe Harbor program where she’s thriving: has stable housing, has gotten a job, is on her feet. Her young child has seen that his mom is on her way to success,” Karcher said.
Downs notes that 617 individuals were sheltered as of Jan. 27, 2010, including 550 who were members of families.
With the county’s fastest growing homeless population in families, the school district enrolled 1,330 homeless students last school year. School-age children represent the highest number of homeless in the county.
Officials say the lack of affordable housing is the largest contributor to homelessness.
“People have lost their jobs, their credit rating goes down, they can’t get into housing,” Downs said of what is often the scenario for homelessness, adding, “it’s a downward spiral.”
She pointed to the City of Ogden’s donation of land for construction of affordable housing.
“We need land, need to get the word out. There is a problem. If in need, people need to find shelter,” she said.
Case managers at the pantry and elsewhere can help people find that shelter, then obtain skills for a job, get stabilized, Downs said.
“We want to give people a hand up so they can help others next year. We want to teach people how to fish, take care of themselves,” she added.
tbusselberg@davisclipper.com
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