The Associated Press ran a story about the homeless finding shelter in foreclosed houses. Sleeping in foreclosed properties beats sleeping in abandoned buildings because they often still have heat and power:
"Many homeless people see the foreclosure
crisis as an opportunity to find low-cost housing (FREE!) with some
privacy," Brian Davis, director of the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the
Homeless, said in the summary of the latest census of homeless sleeping
outside in downtown Cleveland.
The
census had dropped from 40 to 17 people. Davis, a board member of the
National Coalition for the Homeless, cited factors including the
availability of shelter in foreclosed homes, aggressive sidewalk and
street cleaning and the relocation of a homeless feeding site. He said
there are an average 4,000 homeless in Cleveland on any given night.
There are an estimated 15,000 single-family homes vacant due to
foreclosure in Cleveland and suburban Cuyahoga County.
In
Texas, Larry James, president and chief executive officer of Central
Dallas Ministries, said he wasn't surprised that homeless might be
taking advantage of vacant homes in residential neighborhoods beyond
the reach of his downtown agency.
"There
are some campgrounds and creek beds and such where people would be
tempted to walk across the street or climb out of the creek bed and
sneak into a vacant house," he said.
