Homeless by the numbers

COEUR d'ALENE - The numbers are up.

In 2010, St. Vincent de Paul of North Idaho provided 17,650 services, including food, housing and medical help, through 2,910 unduplicated visits.

Through September of 2011, those visits are up 165 percent.

Although the total services tally hasn't been tallied yet, director Jeff Conroy expects that number to reflect that big of an increase as well.

"It spells out that we now see the people who lost their jobs in 2008, their resources have run out," he said. "They've hit the bottom."

The scariest trend the nonprofit has noticed, is the increase in families who need help.

That figure has jumped by 71 percent this year. Families could collect unemployment for 99 weeks. Those whose benefits are expiring are turning to St. Vincent de Paul.

"We're seeing the people who have been hurting for two years and are running out of resources," Conroy said.

Also soon to be expiring is a $854,000 stimulus grant the nonprofit received for homeless prevention and rapid re-housing. That total paid for people's rents in danger or eviction or found affordable housing for people on the street.

That money saved 451 households, or 1,354 people from being without a home. The one-time allotment should expire in September 2012, but the goal of the program was to land the people in a stable position, so even if other financial avenues can't fill the program, the 1,400 people should be secure.

The point and time count in January identified 741 homeless people around Coeur d'Alene. That number may or may not be an accurate number of how many people are out there, but without the grant, it could have been much more.

"We could have doubled, almost tripled the homeless population if it were not for that grant," Conroy said.