5,914 People Homeless in Arkansas, Count Finds

The results are in: almost 6,000 people were homeless across Arkansas the night of Jan. 27th this year. That`s when the Arkansas Contiuum of Care Network conducted a homeless count to find out how many homeless people need what services. At the end of January those volunteers and workers spread out across Arkansas to count as many homeless people as they could. "The idea or logic is that you usually do it in thewinter, hopefully it`ll be cold and people are actually coming into emergency shelters," explained Les Hoelewyn of Arkansas Management Information Systems, which compiled the results. Thirty-eight year old James Anderson is homeless, but wasn`t counted. "I stay on the street, I stay in an abandoned building," he said. Organizers say for that reason there could definitely be more homeless people on the streets than counted in January. "I believe so. Now what the real number is, I wouldn`t dare venture on that," said Thomas Green, Department of Human Services. The group found 5,914 homeless people across the state. They say it supports the 7,400 homeless people already estimated. "With data like this, then we can be in a position to know how many folks we`re providing services for and have a better opportunity to estimate the number who need our services," said Green. The count also conducted 607 in-depth interviews -- finding that 32% of those interviewed have a disability, 12% reported having two or three. Fifty-one percent of those surveyed are on their first time being homeless in the last three years, 32% are chronically homeless. "Most of the numbers seem to fall in line with the national averages," said Hoelewyn. "I think it`s a good number to indicate statewide there is a statewide problem dealing with homelessness," said Green. And sizing up the problem is hopefully just a step, toward getting people like James Anderson into stable housing. "...People look at me, like I ain`t nothing. I know I`m somebody, I know I can get myself together," said Anderson. Arkansas management information systems says there has been a lot of funding geared toward ending chronic homelessness. The Department of Housing and Urban Development is granting more money this year to agencies targeting the problem, as is the city of Little Rock in it`s 10-year plan for the homelessness.