More than 100 Fargo-Moorhead government officials, nonprofit leaders, and interested residents gathered recently to receive the findings of the Wilder homeless study completed last year by the Fargo-Moorhead Coalition for Homeless Persons. Some key findings included: on October 22, 2009, there were 433 people in emergency shelters and 320 persons in informal and unsheltered locations in the Fargo-Moorhead community. This population of homeless is 29% higher than the number found in 2006 and double the number found in 2003.
Over two-fifths of these met the federal definition of chronic homeless, that is, having been homeless for one year or more or more than four times in three years. Military veterans made up 34 percent of homeless adults.
In Fargo, 44 parents had children with them. In Moorhead 20 parents had children with them. Three parents in Fargo and two parents in Moorhead reported their children had to skip meals in the last month because there was not enough money to buy food. In Fargo, 41 percent of homeless adults reported having a job (15% full-time). In Moorhead, 31 percent reported having a job (13% full-time). The complete report will be available soon at http://www.wilderresearch.org/.
Howard Barlow, NRS, Bremer Bank Fargo
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