An annual report analyzing unsheltered persons in Greene County shows one-third of the 223 surveyed had been physically, emotionally or sexually harmed by someone they had stayed with while homeless.
It’s among the statistics found in the Unsheltered Homeless Report released Tuesday by the Community Partnership’s Ozarks Alliance to End Homelessness.
Survey information for the 223 homeless individuals took place back in January at 17 locations in Greene County. The findings also show that 34 percent were experiencing homelessness for the first time, and that females have a higher frequency of homelessness, but shorter durations of homeless spells.
The Point in Time counts are conducted nationally at the end of every January to meet federal funding requirements of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The goal of the count is to capture a snapshot picture of each community’s number of unsheltered homeless on a specific night.
Of those that disclosed their age during the count, the average was 44. The youngest respondent was 17 and the oldest was 86.
73 percent of those surveyed were 25-years-old or above, 71 percent were male, and 69 percent were white. Additionally, 13 percent were veterans.
50 percent of respondents said they had either slept in the woods, at an outdoor camp or on the streets the night before the January 28 survey was administered.
Just under 200 people elected to tell surveyors how long they'd been homeless. While one-third had been without a home for less than six months, 15 percent said they'd been homeless for more than four years.
See the full report here.
CPO is conducting its 8th annual HOPE Connection & Veteran Stand Down event on Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at the Springfield Expo Center. It is expected to serve 650 homeless individuals as a one-stop service site connecting guests to various service agencies. Help with state IDs, flu shots, housing, employment, healthcare, are among the services offered.