Staff from homeless shelters and advocates for the homeless spent much of yesterday canvassing the metropolitan area for a “point in time” study to get a count on the region’s homeless population, and to learn more details about their needs and challenges.
Laurel Advocacy and Referral Services (LARS), a Washington Area Women’s Foundation Grantee Partner, participated in this study and was highlighted in today’s Washington Post article, "A Growing Desperation: Housing, Economic Slumps May Portend Rise in Ranks of Region’s Homeless, Survey Shows."
Studies such as this are important because they allow service providers to get a handle on the rising homeless population and help to guide their services based on real data collected on the numbers of people they serve. It helps them make their case.
And it shows the continued, powerful fallout from the mortgage crisis – from the huge impact on homeowners with subprime loans, who are disproportionately women, to workers in the service and construction industries.
As the Washington Post piece explains, these families are “doing the right thing,” but the weakening economy is hitting very close to home for the already vulnerable women in the Washington region – more than half of families living in poverty here are headed by single mothers.
At times like this, it is important to recognize and support the work of organizations like The Women’s Foundation’s Grantee Partners, such as LARS, who provide vital services to low-income women and their families in our community.
Other resources on this issue and its impact on women are:
Buying for Themselves: An Analysis of Unmarried Female Homebuyers
Women are Prime Targets for Subprime Lending: Women are Disproportionately Represented in High-Cost Mortgage Market (Press release) (Report)
Learn more about our Grantee Partners and how you can be involved in their work and make a difference in women’s lives.
