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The Changing Face Of The Homeless Right Here In North Escambia
February 2, 2008
There’s a changing face to the homeless population in Escambia County, and many of those homeless people are right here in North Escambia.
The word “homeless” usually brings to mind an image of a pour soul sleeping on park bench, under a bridge or begging for money at a busy Pensacola intersection. But there is a much larger segment of homeless people in our county, many of them sitting in North Escambia classrooms during the day and going home…well, not actually going home anywhere.
“The fastest growing segment of the homeless population is families with kids,” said Lon Roberts, a homeless advocate with the Escarosa Coalition on the Homeless. “The average age of these is nine.”
A homeless person is not just one sleeping outside, he said. A homeless person many be a family forced to stay in a motel, or live with relatives because they have no other place to go.
“Being homeless does not mean that you are living in a tent somewhere,” Brunie Emmanuel, coordinator for the Escarosa Coalition on the Homeless, said.
“I work with the school system to help determine the need,” Roberts said. “Schools don’t always know. They don’t think of doubling up as homelessness.”
Friday, the homeless coalition teamed with many other community and faith based organizations to hold a free fish fry in Century. Participants were fed a catfish meal with all the fixings. They were asked, but not required, to respond to a questionnaire about their home situation.
Questions like “where did you sleep last night” and “how long have been homeless” were asked as the men, women and children ate.
The purpose of the survey is to determine the need for homeless services in North Escambia, and determine the best response to those need. Then the group plans to determine how to fund that response.
“My project has no money,” Roberts said. But sometimes he is able to match a need with a provider such as a church that might have a clothes closet or a food closet.
He did have a $15,000 grant to buy underwear, a very basic need among people. When that money ran out after three years, he received a few thousand more in donations.
“I just take one day at a time,” he said. “God is good. He provides.”
Faith plays an important part in the homeless coalition’s efforts, with many churches supporting the organization.
The homeless fed on Friday were given the opportunity to leave with socks, blankets and flashlights.
In addition to the EscaRosa Coalition on the Homeless, other participants in Friday’s lunch in Century included the Pensacola City Housing Board, the Florida Department of Children and Families, Gonzalez United Methodist Church, Hillcrest Baptist Church, the Town of Century, Brownsville Baptist Church and United Ministries.
Other churches and organizations that would like to become involved in the project, or persons needing assistance, can contact Rita Icenogle or any of the volunteers at the United Way at 595-5905.
Picture above: One of the children at Friday’s lunch. Pictured below: Blankets and socks were available.
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