Editorial: Homeless population booming

Saturday, March 3, 2007 | 7:08 a.m.

A newly released federal report on the national homeless population provides the most reliable figure yet for understanding the scope of this problem.

Based on surveys conducted two years ago, the Housing and Urban Development Department reported Tuesday that its calculations show there are 754,000 people either living on the streets, in shelters or in transitional housing.

With so many people being homeless, it is obvious that all levels of government, private foundations and nonprofit groups should do more to help people regain their footing in life.

One major finding is that emergency shelters around the country would be well beyond capacity if not for seasonal shelters set up in most communities, including Las Vegas. This calls into question the Bush administration's main emphasis on transitional housing, whose units are less than three-fourths full on average nights.

This emphasis has led to federal cuts in programs for emergency shelter. We believe this is the wrong response to the plight of the homeless. First, save their lives and protect their health. Then, with resources available, help individuals and families move into transitional homes and ultimately permanent homes they can afford on their own.

Now that surveys are providing better numbers - local surveys show estimates of 15,000 homeless people, including more than 2,000 children and youths - there is a capability for public and private budgeting for an adequate number of shelter beds.

On Feb. 20 the Housing and Urban Development Department announced $1.4 billion worth of grants to 5,300 homeless organizations around the country. It estimated this would house 150,000 homeless people. That leaves at least 600,000 people needing help from state and local governments and nonprofit groups. We'd like to see budgets that account for all of them.