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.,;, <br /> CITY OF DECATUR. ILLINOIS <br /> _ - _ <br /> HOME COMPETITIVE REALLOCATION <br /> THRESHOLD CRITERION: NARRATIVE ON CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS <br /> INTRODUCTION <br /> Decatur is representative of hundreds of communities across the United States. As the <br /> dominant municipality in Macon County, Decatur is a highly industrialized city near the <br /> geographic center of Illinois. Its demographics and its problems are typical of many smaller <br /> Midwest cities,but they have been exaggerated by an economy in tailspin, with several major <br /> manufacturers and retailers shutting down in the past 18 months. Minoring national trends, <br /> homelessness is on the rise,with a particularly sharp increase in the number of chronically <br /> homeless. <br /> As a laboratory, the Decatur area is an ideal place to develop and test models. It has all the <br /> problems of a larger metropolis, and its demographics closely minor those of the nation; yet the <br /> community is small enough that programs can have imm�diate impact: Their effects can been <br /> seen and measured. <br /> EXTENT OF CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS <br /> Based on a cazeful count of persons fitting the definition of chronic homelessness, the Macon <br /> County Continuum of Care Homeless Council believes that at least 147 residents of Decatur are <br />', chronically homeless. Of these, only seven are sheltered. <br /> This count included only persons known to fit the definition of chronic homelessness as <br /> defined by HUD. The Homeless Council used the following process in determining the extent of <br /> chronic homelessness: <br />' • The Homeless Council assembled a panel of threes individual who are very familiar with <br /> homeless persons: the Director of the Oasis Drop-In Center, the manager of a Residential <br /> and Community Services program for a behavioral health center, and the Director of <br /> Homeward Bound, a homeless assistance program. The panel listed actual individuals <br /> they knew to be chronically homeless,resulting in 147 names.l <br /> 'Note on methods for countin chronic homeless sub o ulation:All 147 ersons were not homeless at a iven oint <br /> g PP P g P <br /> in time.The majority of Decatur's chronic homeless popularion are unattached individuals with disabling condirions <br /> who have many episodes of homelessness per year.They move in and out of homelessness repeatedly.On a given <br /> night,one of them may borrow a bed from an acquaintance or fall asleep in someone else's living room,but the next <br /> night he or she will be back on the street.Thus,the count of 147 reflects not a point-in-time,but an enumeration of <br /> persons who are truly chronically homeless.The list of 147 names gives a more accurate and useful count than the <br /> point-in-time study,even for a snapshot view.A point-in-time survey counts only those individuals who come to <br /> agencies during a 24-hour period.Yet the chronically homeless are notoriously resistant to services.In fact,of the <br /> 500 unduplicated persons who visit the Oasis Drop-In Center per month,only 130-150 visit on an average day.It <br /> can therefore be inferred that approximately 350-370 others—including many chronically homeless individuals—are <br /> not counted in the point-in-time study. <br /> PAGE 1 <br />