IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 18, 2002
Hunger, Homelessness On the Rise in Major U.S. Cities
Mayors' 25-City Survey Finds High Housing Costs, Weak Economy
Increase Need
Washington, DC -- As housing costs continued to rise faster
than incomes and the national economy remained weak, requests
for emergency food assistance increased an average of 19
percent over the past year, according to a 25-city survey
released today by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. The survey
also found that requests for emergency shelter assistance grew
an average of 19 percent in the 18 cities that reported an
increase, the steepest rise in a decade.
# Access the 2002 Report Download for Free
# Purchase a Hard Copy Online!
# Mayors Call to Action
# Other Sources of Information
"The world's richest and most powerful nation must find a way
to meet the basic needs of all its residents," said Boston
Mayor and Conference President Thomas Menino. "To address
hunger and homelessness we must all work together to confront
our national affordable housing crisis and turn around our
sluggish economy."
Participating cities were most likely to attribute hunger in
their communities to high housing costs (16 cities), low-paying
jobs (15 cities), unemployment (13 cities), and the economic
downturn (11 cities).
As need increased, the level of resources available to help
meet that need at emergency food assistance facilities
decreased in 52 percent of the cities, increased in 35 percent,
and remained the same in 13 percent. Just over half the cities
surveyed said they are not able to provide an adequate quantity
of food to those in need. And nearly two-thirds of the cities
reported they had to decrease the quantity of food provided
and/or the number of times people can come to get food
assistance. An average of 16 percent of the demand for
emergency food assistance is estimated to have gone unmet in
the survey cities.
The survey finds that 48 percent of those requesting emergency
food assistance were members of families with children and that
38 percent of adults requesting such assistance were employed.
"These are not simply statistics," said Nashville Mayor Bill
Purcell, who chairs the Conference's Task Force on Hunger and
Homelessness. "These are real people who are hungry and
homeless in our cities."
Participating cities were most likely to attribute homelessness
to a lack of affordable housing (21 cities), mental illness and
the lack of needed services (20 cities), substance abuse and
the lack of needed services (19 cities), and low-paying jobs
(17 cities). The survey documents significant unmet need for
shelter in cities across the nation.
People remained homeless for an average of six months in the
survey cities, a figure that increased from one year ago in all
but four cities. Single men comprised 41 percent of the
homeless population, families with children 41 percent, single
women 13 percent, and unaccompanied youth five percent.
Seventy-three percent of homeless families in the survey cities
are headed by single parents. It is estimated that substance
abusers account for 32 percent of the homeless population in
the survey cities and persons considered mentally ill account
for 23 percent. Twenty-two percent of the homeless in survey
cities are employed. Ten percent are veterans.
All the cities in the survey expect that requests for both
emergency food assistance and shelter assistance will increase
again over the next year.
"In the past several years, the face of homelessness has
changed here in the District of Columbia and in cities across
America," said Washington Mayor Anthony A. Williams. "It's
going to take a coordinated effort on many fronts to combat
this problem. This effort must include additional federal
resources for housing, job training, substance abuse treatment
and mental health counseling. By shedding light on the problem
as we are doing with this report, we can work together to help
homeless individuals transition into fuller lives."
The mayors also announced a "call to action" to the
Administration, Congress, state and local governments, the
private and non-profit sectors, and all Americans to do their
part to address growing hunger and homelessness in our nation.
Specifically, the mayors -
* Called on Congress to immediately consider and build upon
President Bush's request for aid to the homeless, as part of a
comprehensive effort to end homelessness within ten years;
* Called on Congress and the Administration to enact a
national housing agenda, based on the recommendations mayors
submitted earlier this year, which would put tens of thousands
of Americans to work;
* Called on Congress to streamline federal anti-hunger
programs and provide additional outreach resources; and
* Urged all Americans to donate their time, money, and
excess food to help combat hunger and homelessness.
"The report confirms what America's Second Harvest has
struggled with over the past year," said Robert H. Forney,
President and CEO, America's Second Harvest, the nation's
largest domestic hunger relief organization, who joined the
mayors today. "To meet the growing demand for food assistance,
we'll need a commitment from every American who can afford to
help, our elected leaders, the business community, as well as
our network of hunger-relief agencies."
The mayors released the report at DC Central Kitchen, which
converts donated food into meals for the hungry while providing
food preparation job training to unemployed individuals.
Several mayors in other cities held their own events today to
mark the release of the report and draw attention to the
problems of hunger and homelessness.
The mayors of the 25 cities included in the survey are members
of the Conference's Task Force on Hunger and Homelessness. They
are Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, Burlington Mayor Peter
Clavelle, Charleston Mayor Joseph Riley, Charlotte Mayor
Patrick McCrory, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, Cleveland
Mayor Jane Campbell, Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, Kansas City
Mayor Kay Barnes, Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn, Louisville
Mayor David Armstrong, Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, Nashville Mayor
Bill Purcell, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, Norfolk Mayor Paul
Fraim, Philadelphia Mayor John Street, Phoenix Mayor Skip
Rimsza, Portland Mayor Vera Katz, Providence Mayor John
Lombardi, Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson, San Antonio
Mayor Ed Garza, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, St. Louis Mayor
Francis Slay, St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly, Trenton Mayor Doug
Palmer, and Washington Mayor Anthony A. Williams.
The complete survey can be downloaded for free or a hard copy
can be ordered for $20 at usmayors.org.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan
organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more.
There are 1,139 such cities in the country today. Each city is
represented in the Conference by its chief elected official,
the mayor. The primary roles of the Conference of Mayors are to
promote the development of effective national urban/suburban
policy; strengthen federal-city relationships; ensure that
federal policy meets urban needs; provide mayors with
leadership and management tools; and create a forum in which
mayors can share ideas and information. More information about
the Conference is available at usmayors.org.
Contacts:
USCM: Rhonda Spears, (202) 861-6766
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