Nicole Leann Chancellor
Data Source: There was no central data source on either California or Oregon State homeless shelter capacities. Oregon does report county by county homeless capacities annually. Therefore raw data was compiled through phone conversations and basic tally counts. Categories used: women and children only, men only, families, or anyone. Data is contained on excel spreadsheet.
How Are We Doing? According to the Urban Institute 2000, a minimum of approximately 1.3% of the population is subject to being homeless during any given year. The following numbers exist for county homeless shelter capacities, with the numbers expressing shelter capacity as a percentage of the County's overall population: Humboldt .2%, Del Norte and Trinity .09%, Siskiyou .05%, Curry .03%, Jackson at .10% and Josephine at .01%. These numbers reflect the percentage of the current county population that homeless facilities exist for. For example, Humboldt has an estimated population of 121,358 with 288 spaces available for the homeless. This indicates that .20% or 1/5 of one percent is being met. With a minimum estimated homeless population of 1.3% we are clearly not meeting this need.
Why is this Important? Homeless capacity is a negative indicator for natural capital and a positive indicator for social and cultural capital. For those who are unable to secure housing, long-term sustainable living and planning is impossible. Homeless people are concerned with meeting daily needs, therefore creating a short-sited consumption cycle. Their survival today negates the impact for tomorrow's generation and severely affects a society's ability to sustain natural capital stocks. Homeless capacity can also be a positive social capital indicator. Capacities that meet the need indicate a society's level of responsibility and sense of civic duty towards each other. It's a measure of how a society views and provides for it's 'down-and-out' members. Also, by providing services to those in need, the negative impact on natural capital can be minimized.