Rules, statistics, potrait of a homelss person

[dreez]

Here it is from the director Crystal ....

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Hi Mike,



Great questions! Here are your answers:



· We have 40 residents, so your group served most of them.
Sometimes people aren’t in by 7 and haven’t requested a saved plate,
so the number of residents you’ll serve will vary each time. We round
up to 50 to accommodate staff, your group, and other evening
volunteers.

· Each resident receives 28-day bed to start. If he or she
works actively with the case managers (Derek and Genecia) to set goals
and work on making progress, they can earn extensions up to a total
stay of 90 days. After leaving, residents have to spend 60 days away
before returning.

· About half of our residents have been in our shelter system
before (if not at OSH, then at one of our partner shelters) and about
half are new to the system.

· We have 40 residents at a time and are basically always
full. 34 men, 6 women.

· YES, the need is higher! We’ve been full for years, so this
is an ongoing crisis. Homelessness and poverty in Minnesota have both
increased rapidly in the past few years. There are 13,000 Minnesotans
homeless on any given night (in 2006 it was about 10,000). Every
social service out there can tell you that needs have risen and that
we’re all operating at capacity and just can’t stretch our budgets any
more.



I think the best way to describe a little more about our residents as
a whole is to share some statistics (attached). Last year about 17% of
our residents moved out of the shelter straight into housing. I think
that number will be a little higher this year. About 20% of our
residents were employed, although many more would like to work and are
looking. In terms of chronic issues, 42% report a mental illness and
31% report a chemical dependency. Statewide, 70% of those experiencing
homelessness report a mental illness, chemical dependency, and/or
serious physical health issue. Sometimes it’s a contributing factor to
their homelessness; sometimes it’s a result of it.



I hope that answers everything! If you’d like, we could arrange a pre-
dinner tour and introduction to OSH when your group comes in November.