| homelessness The homeless are difficult to count. Because
it is a transient and often hidden population, numbers are sketchy at best.
- A 1996 study found 4,663 homeless persons in San Mateo
County. This study further notes that, while the population increased between 1994 and
1996, the percentage of the county’s population that is homeless remained the same. 329
- Contributors to the chances of a person or family becoming
homeless include:
the housing market, low wages, substance abuse, mental illness, and domestic violence. 330
realities of homelessness
- Some of the realities of homelessness in San Mateo County
include:
- Nearly a third (32%) of the homeless in 1996 were children.
331
- A total of 12% were over 50 years old. 332
- A total of 61% of the homeless were persons of color —
predominantly African-American (29%) and Hispanic (26%).333
- Almost half (47%) of those identified as homeless had been
homeless for more than a month (37% for more than a year). 334
- In the 1998 San Mateo County Quality of Life Survey
with adults (currently housed), 0.9% report that they have experienced an episode of
homelessness in the past two years, translating to an estimated 4,770 San Mateo residents.
335
- Displacement, even if temporary, is a more common problem
in San Mateo County. A total of 5.8% of San Mateo County adults reveal that they have had
to go live with a friend or relative at some time during the past two years because of an
emergency, although this arrangement may have only been temporary. 336
homeless shelters & programs
- A San Francisco Chronicle article in early 1998
reports approximately 368 shelter slots (beds and units) available for homeless
individuals and families in San Mateo County. As of October 1998, there were approximately
464 emergency and transitional shelter beds. 337
- Only 9.8% of San Mateo County adult survey respondents
evaluated the availability of programs and shelters for the homeless as
"excellent" or "very good," while 71.2% offered "fair" or
"poor" responses. Evaluations are similarly low throughout California. 338
329 San Mateo County Human Services
Department (Housing Division) and California State Department of Finance (Demographic
Research Unit).
330 Consolidated Housing and Community Development Plan: 1999-2003.
San Mateo County Home Consortium. Adopted by the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors,
April 1998.
331 San Mateo County Human Services Department (Housing Division) and
California State Department of Finance (Demographic Research Unit).
332 Ibid.
333 Ibid.
334 Ibid.
335 1998 San Mateo County Quality of Life Survey. Healthy
Community Collaborative of San Mateo County. September 1998.
336 Ibid.
337 San Francisco Chronicle. January 5, 1998; Center on
Homelessness, County of San Mateo, December 1998.
338 1998 San Mateo County Quality of Life Survey. Healthy
Community Collaborative of San Mateo County. September 1998. |