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62 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, March 18, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend February 16, 2005 Beverly Shaw, left, and Dawn Richardson, both homeless, share stew at DASIL, a Medford social service agency. They were among 1,246 homeless counted during an annual �snapshot� study of the problem of homelessness in Jackson County. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven HOMELESS POPULATON GROWS But the true number in Jackson County may be vastly underestimated, official warns By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune Every night, even the coldest ones, Aaron Mather makes his bed in the back of his Ford truck. "I stay under the stars," said the 29-year-old Medford native, who figures he’s been homeless for more than two years. "I’ve got lots of sleeping bags." During the day, however, Mather usually can be found at DASIL, a Medford social service agency, where he was one of 15 people included in a recent Jackson County survey of local homeless clients. "We’re family," said Mather, who shared lunch and road stories on a recent Wednesday with Beverly Shaw, 48, and Dawn Richardson, 36, also homeless. Figures from the annual count showed that the number of homeless people rose by about 12 percent in the county last year, fueled in part by a 30 percent gain in homeless adults. Advertisement Organizers characterize the count as a "snapshot" of homelessness. It indicated that the number of adults increased from 430 to 558 between 2004 and 2005. Overall, the survey showed a rise in the number of homeless from 1,110 to 1,246 in a year. It’s a roughly accurate account of the problem, said Ed Angeletti, a manager at ACCESS Inc. of Medford who heads the 37-agency Homeless Task Force. "We just try to do the best that we can," Angeletti said. But a Medford city official said Monday that the count probably vastly underestimates the scope of homelessness in the region. "It’s actually a misleading count," said John Statler, a Medford City Council member and longtime homeless advocate. "It makes the problem seem not as bad as it is." The survey tallies only homeless people who seek services from local agencies on a single day during a common week, Angeletti said. A more complete survey would seek out all homeless people in the region, Statler countered. "It’s not really a count of homeless people. It’s a count of people who have accessed services who are homeless," he said. Angeletti acknowledged that the survey may miss some, even many, people. But he said it’s expensive for agencies to hire outreach workers, a point echoed by DASIL Director Kate Baxted. "We don’t have the funding or the money to go out and look for the homeless," she said. "It think it’s a pretty good count. They have to come to us for help." Besides, Angeletti added, it can be dangerous for workers to head out into the corners of the county seeking homeless people. "There’s the difficulty and the danger of approaching people," Angeletti said. "It becomes an issue of safety." Such an attitude unfairly characterizes homeless people and limits the ability to understand the scope of the issue, Statler said. "That’s a terrible response," he said. "That implies that all homeless people are a threat. Homeless people are not a threat any more than anyone else." Statler called for a comprehensive count of the area’s homeless. "Under the standards used by the schools, there’s probably 10 times as many homeless people out there," Statler said. "If we are truly a compassionate community, we need to get an accurate count." The current count will be used to seek grant funds for programs to help the homeless, among other uses, Angeletti said. He expressed frustration at the lack of recognition for the task force’s accomplishments. The collaborative group gained nearly $500,000 in federal funding for local projects and sponsored programs ranging from supportive housing to the annual Homeless Day in the Park. "You hear about all of the problems, but you don’t hear about all of the hard work," Angeletti said. "It’s all of these organizations that put in a long, hard, group effort." Tackling the problem of homelessness is difficult and time-consuming, Angeletti said. "I’m not going to sit here and pretend to you that there aren’t people who need help," he said. "But they have to take the steps." He expressed frustration that some of the homeless people he interviewed this year were the same people surveyed last year. "These are people who have not made any efforts, but just put blame on society," Angeletti said, adding later: "You need to stop drinking and stop doing drugs and wake up at a certain time and eat your breakfast at a certain time." Some homeless people find it difficult to make even small changes, Statler noted. That’s particularly true of mentally ill people and addicts, including veterans. "I’ve known people who’ve reached down for their bootstraps and found them cut," he said. Life on Jackson County’s streets can be grueling, said Aaron Mather, the DASIL client. He says he became homeless after he had trouble with prescription drugs. "I got lost in medication for a while," Mather said. "I’m trying to clarify again." Places like DASIL, which offers services including food, shelter and employment help, make life bearable. "Most homeless people always need resources," he said. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Local agencies receive $500,000 in HUD grants Several local agencies that help the homeless recently received nearly $500,000 through a federal Housing and Urban Development grant. OnTrack Inc. of Medford and Living Opportunities of Ashland received $210,903 to build 63 housing units for low-income people and those with disabilities. The Medford Citadel of the Salvation Army received $154,098 for services to families at the Hope House transitional shelter. DASIL and the Rogue Valley Council of Governments received nearly $134,000 for the Home at Last Project that provides rental subsidy and case management for homeless people with disabilities. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Advertisement s