A local street outreach agency recorded a nearly eight-fold increase in homeless children seeking refuge with their parents last year.
The rise in homelessness has overwhelmed shelters and left more families to sleep in their vehicles, according to a report from Person Centered Housing Options.
Some of this is a rebound to pre-pandemic numbers as eviction moratoriums and rent relief programs have expired. But the nonprofit primarily encountered single people and couples then.
What has emerged in its latest report points to a worsening situation. What Nick Coulter, the group’s co-founder, said is a harbinger of what’s to come if rising housing costs continue to outpace wages.
“I don’t want to get into politics, but this is a pure numbers game,” Coulter said. “If you’re going to stop it, you’ve got to do something financially.”
PCHO is a Rochester-based nonprofit organization focused on providing outreach to chronically homeless people, with an end goal of placing people into sustainable long-term housing.