City of Norfolk and the Norfolk Homeless Consortium Announce Reduction in Homelessness
NORFOLK, VA – March 24, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — The City of Norfolk is pleased to announce that homelessness in Norfolk has decreased by 4% from January 2010 to January 2011. Mayor Paul D. Fraim states, “I am quite pleased that in two of the most difficult economic years, our community has worked together to continue to end homelessness. We know that we still have much work to do and that there are still many in our community in need of our assistance to put homelessness or the threat of losing their housing behind them.” Overall, 536 persons were identified as being homeless during the 24-hour, 2011 Point-in-Time count. This compares to 556 counted in January 2010 which also showed a 4% decrease from the previous count in 2009.
The 2011 Point-in-Time Count was conducted the evening of January 26th and the day of January 27th by the Norfolk Office to End Homelessness and the member agencies of the Norfolk Homeless Consortium in partnership with representatives of the Veterans Administration and Chapter 4 of the Disabled American Veterans. According to Sarah Paige Fuller, Director of Norfolk’s Office to End Homelessness, “These last two years have provided a challenge to our community. The collaborative of agencies and volunteers serving those experiencing homelessness have taken great effort to effectively implement practices that end and prevent homelessness. This could not have happened without their hard work, dedication, and creativity.”
The Point in Time Count is conducted annually to measure progress in ending homelessness and to gather information on the current status of those still experiencing homelessness. It is conducted by interviewing persons in shelters and on the streets. The interviews are conducted by staff from homeless services agencies.
This past year – with difficult economic conditions, it was critical that Norfolk – like other communities – had access to new resources to prevent and end homelessness. In late 2009, Norfolk received over $2 million of Recovery Act – Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing funds from the Federal Government to prevent and end homelessness. Combined with the existing resources in the system, this significantly helped to end and prevent homelessness at a rate that kept Norfolk ahead of the economic curve. According to Mayor Fraim, “We continue as a city to explore opportunities to improve the economy and bring jobs to our area. I am grateful to all of our community service providers, faith communities, and volunteers that help individuals and families end and prevent homelessness each day. Without the strength of our community – we could not achieve these results.”
The following table shows a break-down of the 2011 Point-in-Time Count Results:
|
Norfolk Point-in-Time Count |
2011 Results |
| Total Number of Homeless Persons* |
536 |
| Total Number Sheltered* |
477 |
| Total Number Unsheltered |
59 |
| Total Number of Adults |
451 |
| Total Number of Children |
85 |
| Total Number of Families* |
44 |
| Total Number of Persons in Families* |
134 |
| Total Number of Unsheltered Families |
2 |
| Total Number of Unsheltered Children |
4 |
| Total Number of Single Adults |
402 |
| Total Number of Chronically Homeless |
59 |
| Total Number of Veterans |
69 |
|
The following numbers include only the sheltered population. |
|
| Total Number of Domestic Violence Victims |
48 |
| Total Number of Individuals with a Substance Abuse Problem |
72 |
| Total Number of Individuals with a Mental Illness |
67 |
| Total Number of HIV-positive Individuals |
10 |
*Total number of families and total number of persons in families include both sheltered and unsheltered households with at least one adult and one child.
