AG 1993 06 07 - Laserfiche WebLink

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LSSP MEMORANDUM Denise Ashcraft* is the head of a homeless family living in Cabarrus County. She is in her mid-20s and is raising her three children, Veronica, age 12, Sally, age 10, and Fred, age 2. The family has been homeless off and on over the last year. They have recently been living in their car or staying every night at a different friend or relative's home. The primary cause of the Ashcraft's homelessness is the lack of steady employment to cover family expenses. Ms. Ashcraft has worked as a waitress and production worker. Because of layoffs, irregular hours and the lack of reliable, affordable child care for her children, she has been unable to keep these jobs over the long term. The monthly cash income for this family of four is less than $500. They receive $250 in child support for the older children and $236 in AFDC for Fred. The family lived in a rented home from February through April this year. They did not have electricity because of an old bill, on which Ms. Ashcrafi is making payments. Without reliable employment, she could not afford the rent. That home was in decent condition, but was too expensive to afford on their extremely low income. Lower rent housing on the private market is often very dilapidated, posing health and safety risks for a family. Ms. Ashcraft is eligible for subsidized housing, but there are more than 200 people on the waiting list ahead of her. Given the severe shortage of subsidized housing, it could be years before she receives housing assistance. Ms. Ashcraft's priority in this crisis has been to feed her children. She has done it, with food stamps to supplement her income, although they have ot~en had to miss meals or depend on the kindness of friends or relatives. These living conditions are a huge strain on the family. They have been moving from place to place or living in a car for over a year. Ms. Ashcraft is determined to hold her family together, but is frustrated, emotionally and physically exhausted, and fearful. The children have attended three different schools this year. During the winter months, they did not have electricity to do their homework. They are clean and well-behaved, but often appear tired or depressed, and their school work has, of course, suffered. The solution for this family will only come from within, when Ms. Ashcraft finds adequate child care and can support her family with reliable employment. That solution, however, may well be impossible without help from the community. There are a wide range of human services available to homeless families in Cabarrus County. Those services are bifurcated, with different agencies focusing on different aspects of the problem. Getting help often involves negotiating substantial red tape at each agency. A specialized homeless advocate is essential to meet the needs of homeless families and those at risk of recurring homelessness like this one. Such an advocate would coordinate efforts of the agencies to make sure families get the services they need. Most importantly, the advocate would empower the families by working out a specific plan to retake control of their lives. We owe it to the children to give each family that opportunity. * The namex used here have been changed to protect the confidentiality of this family. Legal Services of Southern Piedmont Cabarrus-Stanly~Union Office 9 Union Street N., Concord, NC 28025 (704) 7864145