TOP 3 REASONS WHY WE COLLECT SOCKS FOR THE HOMELESS
#1
#1
Clothing
donations to the homeless rarely include socks
I ask every
homeless service organization that I visit the same question: What are do
you need the most? The answer is consistently…Socks.
#2
Clean, dry socks are important!
Members of the homeless population spend most of their
time walking from place to place, frequently with inadequate socks and poorly
fitting shoes. Health conditions like diabetes, prevalent in the homeless
population, can further complicate the danger of poor foot care to include skin
ulcers, infections and even tissue death.
#3
"See a
need...Fill a need"
is the motto
that keeps me motivated
to keep
collecting socks for the homeless year after year.
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| Socks for the Homeless, Inc. - Indianapolis, IN - Shay Spivey |
THE FACTS
Startling Indianapolis Homelessness Statistics (2013)
Startling Indianapolis Homelessness Statistics (2013)
- "As many as 4,800 to 8,000 individuals are experiencing homelessness in Indianapolis. Results from the most current study showed a 20 percent increase in those becoming homeless due to job loss." (www.chipindy.org, 2013, Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention)
Startling Indianapolis Homelessness Statistics (2011)
• The 2011 Indianapolis Homeless Count shows that 1,567 individuals were homeless on January 27, 2011, the date on which the count was conducted. That was up by 79 individuals from January 2010.
• Of the 1,567 individuals found and identified as experiencing homelessness, 114 were unsheltered and found on the street, and 1,453 were staying in emergency shelters or in temporary housing programs.
• 28% of individuals counted, or 444 people, were members of families, including 248 children under the age of 18. These individuals represented 155 families.
• The average age of a homeless child in Indianapolis is seven.
• 15% of the adults experiencing homelessness were employed while they were homeless.
• 457 adults cited lost job or inability to find employment as the reason for their homelessness.
• 13% of the adults experiencing homelessness were in school.
• 262 of the adults counted were veterans.
• 390 of the adults counted were women fleeing from domestic violence.
• 41% of the adults counted suffered from a chronic addiction.
• 14% of the adults counted suffered from a severe mental illness.
• More than half of the individuals counted did not have any type of health insurance.
• 21% of individuals between 18 and 24 years of age reported being part of the foster care system at some point in their life.
• Of the 1,567 individuals, only 168 can be characterized as “chronically homeless”.
• In addition to the 248 children who are homeless and living in emergency shelters or temporary housing programs, Marion County schools report that they are serving another 2,925 children who do not have a home of their own and live with friends or extended family, live with an adult in hotels or motels, or are unattached.
• 245 individuals were homeless after being asked to leave the home of a friend or extended family member.
•Over the course of this year, it is estimated that between 4,500 and 7,500 individuals will experience homelessness in Indianapolis.
•40% of Indy’s homeless are families.
•When the average wage of working families assisted through welfare in Marion County is $7.62/hour and the average wage needed to afford a 2 bedroom apartment is $11.12, it’s easy to see how families are spending their nights on the streets or in shelters.
•The average homeless family is a single mother with two children under 10 who are without a home due to financial difficulties or domestic violence.
•25% of Indy’s homeless are children.
•About 1,500 kids (under 18) spent at least one night on the streets last year.
(Get Compelled, www.getcompelled.com, May 2011)
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