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I was hungry and you gave me food
Local charities cope with increasing homelessness
By Ambria Hammel, ahammel@catholicsun.org
November 20, 2008
While Americans are still adjusting to the failing economy, monetary uncertainty is a way of life for the homeless.
Homeless shelters across Arizona are receiving an alarming number of requests. City mayors across the country are reporting an increase in homelessness, according to a recent survey.
Volunteers at St. Mary’s Basilica weekday morning meal program are also seeing more new faces among their regular guests.
“They’ve survived and they know where they can go,” Linda Raimundo, who runs the program, said of those homeless before the economic downturn.
While their numbers have decreased over the last six months, Raimundo said the faces are changing.
Others are turning to André House — a men’s shelter and soup kitchen in downtown Phoenix. Staff members are reporting an increase in numbers for the first time in six years.
Holy Cross Father Bill Wack, director of André House, said he’s serving more than 700 guests at least once a week. The total may have pushed that high only once or twice in the last five years. An average of 600-700 guests file through the soup line every night now.
Regular guests have noticed, but they don’t mind sharing the food. There’s enough to go around — although more and more is bought wholesale due to shortages at the food bank.
Guests know the larger crowd means stiffer competition for the shelter’s personal services.
“Now people are coming saying, ‘All the new people are taking our spots,’” Fr. Wack said. The shelter offers 30 slots daily for showers. The same group also receives clothes.
Staff and volunteers at Paz de Cristo Community Center in Mesa have noticed new faces as well. The ministry serves the homeless and low-income by offering daily meal services and other aid.
Some 285 guests dined at Paz de Cristo earlier this month, which is high. The center has seen 15-20 percent more guests during its evening meal program over the last few months.
“I know we’ve had more families than before,” said Mike Boos, director. He used to spot a few families eating in Paz’s outdoor dining room, but now easily finds five to seven families.
“As we go toward the holidays, it’s going to get even worse because they’re going to try to spend money on family,” Boos said.
Jerry Castro, dining room manager for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s five Valley locations, agreed.
“We realize it’s going to get worse before it gets better,” he said.
Three of those dining rooms offer meals seven days a week. The one in downtown Phoenix served 35,272 meals last month — up from 30,318 last year.
“We’re helping people out of homelessness, but there are people taking their place all the time,” Castro said.
Some become the replacements through no choice of their own. Blue Swadener, outreach coordinator for St. Joseph the Worker, knows such a couple.
The pair walked into the job service agency after the home they were renting went into foreclosure. They had 24 hours to vacate the property.
“They had no warning and suddenly found themselves on the street,” Swadener said. “There are others with similar experiences and the economy is definitely resulting in an increased need for our services, with many more skilled people coming through our door.”
Despite their skill, it’s taking longer to land a job, Swadener said. Six months ago, clients with a commercial driver’s license generally had their pick of jobs. Now there are few openings.
St. Joseph the Worker has 50 percent more clients than last year. Yet, half as many are getting jobs.
”They’re seeing the same pool of applicants at place after place,” Swadener said. It indicates a tough job market, he said.
Even with a growing number of homeless, agencies are doing what they can to help.
“We just try to serve them every day as our brothers and sisters,” Raimundo said of her work at the basilica.
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