Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/122777
Sarasota News Leader April 19, 2013 Page 19 able to capture interviews with everyone," Even as the economy slowly rebounds and the says Loveless. unemployment rate drops, homelessness is a "vicious cycle," Loveless says. "If you don't The increase in the number of homeless children in part reflects better reporting, including have housing, then you can't get your shower cooperation with the schools and the YMCA, and get your clean clothes and get to work on according to Loveless. But still, bottom line, time." we have a "substantial" number of homeless. Even for people who have jobs, the area lacks Another troubling number: 9 percent of the area's homeless are between the ages of 18 and 24. That suggests a growing number of young people are leaving school and unable to afford a place to live, says Loveless. A full quarter of the homeless who responded to the Partnership's survey said they had been homeless longer than a year, and 41 percent said they had lived in the area for more than a year before becoming homeless. affordable housing for those who earn around the minimum wage. So what's the Partnership's plan of attack? "What we're looking to do is develop goals and plans to move people from homelessness into housing," says Loveless. And while the new report will help the Partnership tailor those programs, there's a long way to go: "We've still got a lot of work to do." % Even though the City of Sarasota removed the benches from Five Points Park, homeless people continue to gather there. Photo by Norman Schimmel