April Newsletter

OP-ED

The Purpose of the Center for Rural Homelessness

The Center for Rural Homelessness (CRH) is the result of conversations held between myself and its Co-Founder, Sean Small. In my day job, I have the pleasure of conversing with local officials and nonprofit leaders from communities across the country to discuss their desires to expand homeless program operations, most closely tied to the availability of housing and shelters. READ MORE

JOURNAL SPOTLIGHT

Using Geographic Information Systems to Assess Community-Level Vulnerability to Housing Insecurity in Rural Areas

[An] exploratory study aimed to map community-level risk factors related to housing insecurity in the State of Maine. Using geographic information systems (GIS) techniques, the authors wanted to expand the way rural homelessness is conceptualized. READ MORE

SPOTLIGHT FROM THE FIELD

Rural Homelessness in West Virginia

This past January, organizations across the nation conducted the point-in-time count, counting the number of individuals experiencing homelessness on a single night. Zachary Brown, CEO of West Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness, says that West Virginia’s rural homelessness numbers have gone up significantly since the last point-in-time count conducted prior to the pandemic. READ MORE

IN THE NEWS

Rural America has homeless people too. But they’re hard to find.

Point-in-time count was conducted in Cumberland County, a rural area of Pennsylvania, this past January. However, this count does not account for the individuals that may have been hidden or refused to speak to the counters. Many factors influence these numbers and lead to underrepresentation of unhoused individuals in rural areas. READ MORE

HUD Awards $315 Milion in Historic Grants To Address Unsheltered and Rural Homelessness

Last month, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced the first set of communities to receive grants and vouchers to address homelessness among people in rural communities. The grants total almost $315 million and help 46 different communities across the nation. READ MORE

Report: Rural Homelessness Increased from 2020 To 2022

The number of homeless individuals rose less than 1% between 2020 and 2022, but in specifically rural areas, it rose by nearly 6%. This increase has multiple causes including the lack of affordable housing options for low income individuals. READ MORE