According to Kathy at the Hospitality Center in Norristown, PA they served between 1,000 – 1,200 distinct clients at their shelter in the last year.
Yet according to HUD’s 20111 Point in Time Estimate of Homeless (12/2011), page 21, there are only 410 homeless in the Norristown area.
What’s wrong with this picture??
What’s wrong is HUD truly underestimates the homeless population – in this case by a factor of almost three!!
This misrepresentation affects many things…including funding to support social services and the homeless population.
I wish I had an answer to those who ask me to support a higher number of homeless than the “official government numbers.”
