New Hampshire News
| Remembering the Hidden Ones: Keene group plans to join in national homeless memorial |
| Posted by Jaime Contois (jcontois) on Jun 02 2009 at 7:37 PM |
When Patrick J. Hackett Sr. died on Christmas Day in 2006, after a short illness, he was homeless.
Tracking down people who know how Hackett became homeless is hard. He lived in the woods and in Keene shelters for several years. But friends he met at The Community Kitchen in Keene, where he volunteered, describe him as a generous, loyal friend who offered help to others in need.
While social services officials say no deaths among the homeless were reported this year in the Monadnock Region, community service organizations in Keene are holding a candlelight vigil Sunday to remember those who have died across the country.
More than 90 other cities are slated to hold vigils on Sunday night — the longest night of the year and the first day of winter.
Laurie J. Saunders-Jewett, director of homeless services for Southwestern Community Services, which runs homeless shelters in the Monadnock Region and beyond, says two homeless people in Claremont lost their lives in 2008 and across the state 31 homeless people died this year.
Jaime Contois is the state’s organizer for Working Families Win, a nonprofit organization that advocates for working families. She says with the homeless population in the region growing, she hopes the memorial will shed light on the changing face of homelessness.
“As the economy worsens, we’re seeing increased rates of homelessness amongst a broader demographic,” Contois said. “People think those with mental illness and substance abuse make up the homeless population, but more and more, as people are losing their jobs, it’s becoming a problem among the middle class.”
Saunders-Jewett says more people are seeking homeless services in the community than in recent years, putting the shelters into overflow mode.
“We’ve got people sleeping on couches right now,” Saunders-Jewett said. “We can also bring in cots if we need to, but that’s only a temporary situation.”
On Friday morning, 72 people, including eight families, filled Cheshire County shelters, according to Saunders-Jewett.
Part of the reason shelters are so full, Saunders-Jewett said, is that people are staying longer because affordable, permanent housing is getting harder to find.
Southwestern Community Services has also been working with several families in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure, trying to work out deals with mortgage companies, Saunders-Jewett said.
She said she still doesn’t know whether homeless services in the state will face budgetary cutbacks, but expects funding to remain level. This is not good news, she said.
“Because it’s a growing problem, I don’t know if level funding will be adequate,” Saunders-Jewett said.
She said the organization is still waiting to hear from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development whether it received a grant for rapid re-housing, a program that could put families into permanent housing more quickly than the current system.
“Right now, it’s a struggle just to keep up with what we have, much less try to find other new programs to apply for,” Saunders-Jewett said.
The candlelight memorial will be held from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at The Community Kitchen at 37 Mechanic St., Keene.
Community members are asked to bring gas cards, bottled water, diapers, towels or toiletries or donate to one of the local shelters.
Casey Farrar can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1435, or cfarrar@keenesentinel.com.