NCJ Number
206052
Date Published
July 2003
Length
71 pages
Annotation
This data collection project focuses on emergency shelters, transitional housing, and battered women’s shelters.
Abstract
This is the twelfth annual report of an ongoing community project to collect data about adults and children who use emergency shelters and transitional housing in Ramsey County, Minnesota and helps funders, policymakers, and providers make decisions about homelessness by providing reliable and useful information. In 2002, at least 3,343 individuals used emergency shelters, including 2,626 adults and 717 children in Ramsey County. As was the case in 2001, while this count is likely close to the actual number of shelter users in 2002, it is known to be an undercount because the Dorothy Day shelter (Minnesota) was unable to provide any information concerning children who stayed there in 2002. In 2002, more than half of the adults in emergency shelters stayed only once, but one-third of single women and nearly half of single men exiting shelters returned for repeat stays. In 2002, Ramsey County had 68 chronic shelter users. The information for this study was based on data collected for all of 2002 by Catholic Charities, Ramsey County, and the Union Gospel Mission for emergency shelter. This study also examined children in shelters, men alone in shelters, families in emergency shelters, age and race/ethnicity of population, and income of those who used the shelters. This report describes persons who use emergency shelter, transitional housing, and/or battered women’s shelters. The report focuses on findings in 2002, but also includes some comparison data from previous years. The community organizations involved with this study have demonstrated continuous support for the project since it began in 1991. Tables, charts, references