Demand for Homeless Shelters Grows
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WASHINGTON — Demand for shelter has risen dramatically since the recession began in 1990, and the problem of homelessness will be aggravated by cuts in federal aid, a report said Sunday.
“Until more realistic proposals for permanent solutions are forthcoming, cuts in emergency programs will only mean more misery, pain and deaths on America’s streets,” according to the report by the National Coalition for the Homeless.
The report examined trends in 18 states and the District of Columbia but did not attempt to assess the number of homeless.
The report found:
--Every state and Washington, D.C., reported an increase in demand for shelter over the past two years, and many reported that the largest increase came from families with children.
--Many shelters had to turn away large numbers of people.
The federal government’s Emergency Shelter Grants program has been cut from $73.2 million to $50 million for the current fiscal year, and the Emergency Food and Shelter program has been trimmed from $134 million to $129 million.
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