Mayors Report on Hunger and Homelessness

On December 21, 2010 the U.S. Conference of Mayors released their annual report, the 2010 "Hunger and Homelessness Survey." For more than a quarter century, The Conference of Mayors has documented the magnitude of the issues of hunger and homelessness in our cities, as well as efforts cities are making to address these challenges. The report presents data collected on emergency food assistance and homelessness assistance services provided between September 1, 2009 and August 31, 2010.

Some Key findings:

• Every city surveyed reported that request for food assistance increased over the past year, and those requests increased by an average of 24 percent across the cities.
• Among those requesting food assistance, 56 percent were families.
• Unemployment led the list of causes of hunger cited by the survey, followed by high housing costs, low wages, poverty, and lack of access to SNAP/food stamps.
• Among households with children, unemployment led the list of causes for homelessness cited by city officials.
• Providing more mainstream assisted housing led the list of actions needed to reduce homelessness in the survey cities.
• Officials in 48 percent of the survey cities expect resources to provide emergency shelter to decrease over the next year.

New Staff

We are pleased to announce that we have hired Evette Pena for the staff position at the Urban Center. She is a local woman who is looking forward to sharing her experience and expertise in our ministry. She will be starting the week of January 10, 2011.

Kensington Neighborhood On Edge

Since November 3, three women have been murdered by strangulation and at least three others have been attacked. The police have a description of the man and this week they released surveillance video showing a man who allegedly assaulted a woman and may be responsible for the rape and strangulation of others. He has been dubbed by the media and on the street as the "Kensington Strangler."

Two events took place recently that has the community together. A couple of weeks ago a vigil was held at the intersection of Jasper and Cumberland Streets, where Nicole's body was found on November 13. With white candles in hand about 100 people huddled in the chill night in a vacant lot centered around a make-shift memorial to Nicole. The memorial had been set against a tree with her high school picture, candles, and a teddy bear. Follow the words of family members and community leaders, attendees solemnly marched down Jasper Street to Kensington Ave in a showing of neighborhood support.

Last Saturday a community meeting was held to give people a chance to express their concerns and feelings about the murders and violence in the neighborhood.

The incidences of violence that is connected to the Kensington Strangler has left a real void and a sense of fear in the neighborhood, especially as the perpetrator is still on the loose. While the strings of murders connected to the strangler have received a great deal of media attention, they are connected to deeper issues of drug abuse, prostitution and violence within our community that does not always receive adequate attention by the city, the media, and even the police.