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Highlands Today

Highlands Homeless Number Larger Than We Know

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 28, 2009

When living in Highlands County it's easy to think that some of society's worst problems don't affect us too much. That's for metropolitan areas, some of us believe. Of course that's not true. The same ills that affect our big cities are found right here and they are every bit as serious.

From teen pregnancy to child abuse to drug abuse to homelessness, all are found here. They are more hidden, perhaps, but they are here in numbers larger than some may realize.

Every year the Highlands County Coalition for the Homeless conducts a weeklong survey to find out how many people are homeless in the county. We sometimes see these folks. A few walk the streets, often carrying all their belongings in bags or shopping carts. But these are just the obvious one. Many more live here, often out of sight, living in desperate conditions with little help in sight. And these aren't just alcoholics and drug addicts. And they aren't necessarily people who just don't want to work. They are all kinds of people - men, women and children - who are in trouble.

The coalition counts more than just people living under bridges in their annual count. Others live in their cars, and even people who are being sheltered by friends and family are counted as homeless. The definition, according to the coalition, is any people needing assistance for shelter. That takes in a lot of people.

Last year the coalition estimated there were 1,400 people homeless in Highlands County. This year they expect more. Considering the county's population, that's a large percentage.

Imagine losing a job in the current economic situation. Few if any jobs are out there, and when there is one, competition is fierce. A lot of people are moving away, forced to look in other states for employment. Their luck isn't much better there, but sometimes it's the only alternative.

For people with family and friends living only here, their horizons are much smaller. And often their families are struggling to get by as well. Sometimes there just isn't anywhere to go but outside, and that's a terrible situation.

The coalition for the homeless does a lot to help these people. They assist however they can, but even those options are limited. Not much money is available to help out, due mainly to the incredible need in all corners of our society.

It's impressive to see, however, how many local people step up to help when people are truly in need. We continue to see outpourings when people are burned out of their houses or face difficult times.

We can't forget about these people, even though our ability to help is limited. Until the economy turns around, this isn't going to get better. And until then, we have to help them hang on.

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