Shelter Use Way Up in Survey of Homeless
More people slept at Ventura County warming shelters this winter than at any other time in the past five years, underscoring the need for permanent shelters, advocates say.
Before winter emergency shelters closed in March, advocates estimated the county’s total number of homeless people at more than 3,000, a substantial increase from last year’s estimate of 1,300.
Volunteers surveyed 295 homeless adults at the county’s seven shelters on the night of Feb. 22.
Highlights from that report, released last week:
* One-third of the shelter population were women and children.
* Nearly two-thirds were staying at a shelter for the first time.
* Nearly half had been homeless for six months or less.
* Job loss and lack of affordable housing were leading causes of homelessness.
More than 100 of those surveyed had regular monthly incomes but were unable to find affordable places to rent.
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