A new survey is putting a face on the problem of chronic homelessness in our community and identifying those who are most vulnerable.
Volunteers fanned out across Anchorage in the early morning hours to find homeless residents in camps, shelters, and even hospitals. They interviewed more than 300 people and found that 161 of them are at the highest risk of dying on the streets.
The survey painted a portrait of those considered chronically homeless in Anchorage:
-Most have lived on the streets for over five years-Overwhelmingly male-Aged 25 to 54-48%Native-33% White-10% African-American
The majority had substance abuse and health problems associated with being homeless.
Researchers found that chronic homelessness leads to an early death. The average lifespan for a homeless person is right around 55 years old. The emergency room is the most popular form of health care for the homeless with hundreds of visits documented in just the last three months.
Researchers say one of the problems with the homeless is that they live in an environment where they can literally never get well.
“You know when you go to the doctor and the doctor says for you to stay warm and dry, to stay in bed and rest?” says Anchorage Homeless Coalition leader Corinne O’Neill.
“Well that never happens to people on the street so they are unable to do the preventative care they need to keep them well.”
O’Neill and others believe that housing and the support services that must go with it are the first steps to saving lives and money, since the chronically homeless use a disproportionate share of public resources.
She says local social services agencies will target the most vulnerable and try to get them into permanent housing.
