This year we found a total of 93 homeless people in Anacortes, with 58 adults and 35 children. This compares to the 75 homeless people we tallied last year (36 adults and 39 children).
We found that more people were decidedly pessimistic about their futures. The majority of those coming to the food banks who had homes noted that although they had a roof over their heads now, they were very uncertain whether they would continue to have a place to live next month.
Although the number of families with children remained the same, this year more men were living together with their wives and children. More families without children were homeless this year. Typically, these were older adults whose children had departed or whose adult children were still living with them. Families with children make up over half of the homeless this year and almost three-quarters last year.
Children living with relatives only include those whose parents were not living with them in the relative's house. A single mom, typically, and her children, living with her relatives, were counted in the families with children section.
Here are this year's numbers:
- Families with children: 16 , including 9 men, 17 women, and 24 children
- Families without children: 6 , including 9 men and 7 women
- Single men: 11
- Single women: 5
- Children living with with relatives : 6
- Children living with others: 5
As a comparison, here are last year's numbers:
- Families with children: 15, including 2 men, 18 women, and 34 children.
- Families without children: 0
- Single men: 8
- Single women: 8
- Children living with relatives: 0
- Children living with others: 5
These numbers only include those who came to the food banks on this particular day. The food banks have restrictions on how often one can return, so one day's count is only a small proportion of the total homeless in Anacortes.
A group of eager volunteers (myself, Eric Shen & Betty Carteret, Valerie Long, Carol Rodin, Patti Santangelo and Vickie Morrell at the Salvation Army) counted the homeless population as they came to the three food banks in town (Anacortes 100, Saint Vincent de Paul, and the Salvation Army) on Friday, January 30. The Anacortes School District provided some additional information, and we found one additional homeless person enjoying a meal at the Dinner at the Brick at Westminster Presbyterian.