Homeless shelters expecting record numbers this winter

As the weather turns wintry, suburban homeless shelters are preparing for what's expected to be a record-setting demand for services.

For many PADS organizations, the not-for-profit groups that run shelters and other services for homeless people throughout the Chicago area, the 2008 fiscal year was their all-time busiest.

But because of rising unemployment, the foreclosure crisis and other worsening economic factors, PADS representatives predict the current fiscal year, which began this summer, will be worse.

With temperatures dropping in recent weeks, more people are turning to PADS shelters for warmth and safety.

"We're seeing the numbers starting to climb," said Cedric Lee, community outreach director of Lake County's PADS Crisis Services.

Scott Block, division director with McHenry County PADS, is facing a similar trend. His agency operates seven shelter sites at area churches, with one open each night of the week, between October and April, and a year-round day center with additional beds for emergencies.

There's room for about 50 people each night - and they've found themselves out of space already this season.

During the 2008 fiscal year, McHenry County PADS served about 400 homeless men, women and children - a record for the group. The agency is on pace to exceed that total in 2009.

"We're really struggling with where to put everybody," said Block, whose volunteers have had to find space for homeless people elsewhere in the shelters on a few nights. "We're trying to accommodate everyone as best as we can."

The nation's recent economic struggles likely play a role in the increasing business at local shelters, but the true impact of those crises hasn't been felt yet, said Dennis Hewitt, executive director of PADS of Elgin, which operates a single year-round shelter in that city for residents of Dundee, Elgin and Hanover townships.

Most people who lose their homes first rely on friends or family for shelter, Hewitt said. Then people turn to churches and social-service groups to help them get by temporarily.

When those wells run dry, Hewitt said, people turn to PADS.

"Once they come to us, they will have exhausted every other resource," he said. "And I think in this economy, they are out there."

DuPage PADS operates three shelters every night, at rotating sites throughout that county. Maximum capacity is 140 people.

The number of people seeking shelter through DuPage PADS in October was 37 percent greater than it was a year earlier, Executive Director Carol Simler said. She attributes the increase to people with low-paying jobs who saw their hours cut and no longer could afford rent.

"As poverty rises in this county, so does homelessness," Simler said.

Homelessness is becoming more of a family problem, too.

During the last fiscal year, Lake County PADS served 787 adults and 114 children. This year, Lee expects more than 850 adults and at least 150 children will seek emergency shelter at his group's 14 rotating shelters and one permanent site.

Demand typically peaks in January, Lee said. Last winter, Lake County PADS had to use overflow shelters such as the Kiley Developmental Center, a state mental health facility in Waukegan, five nights a week.

Such drastic actions will be needed this year, too, Lee predicted.

"I just hope they don't all come at the same time," Lee said.

Fortunately, PADS officials are ready for the influx of guests. Block and other directors say they always could use more volunteers to staff the shelters, but they've got enough manpower to keep them running.

Although supplies such as sleeping pads and clothes generally are at good levels, they say donations are down and grant money has been harder to get because of fiscal cutbacks.

"People are doing everything they can to give as much as they can, but everybody has had to tighten up a little bit," Block said.

Donations of goods are appreciated, Lee said. But cash gifts are needed, too, so organizers can buy specific things that people need that may not be among the donated items. For example, a donated pair of socks doesn't help someone who needs fresh underwear, he said.

"We really need to spend money on different things," Lee said.

In DuPage County, people have been generous with their time and wallets, Simler said. That's often the case this time of year, she said.

"However, we would like people to remember that homelessness occurs 365 days a year and not just in these cold, winter months," Simler said.