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Officials expect more homelessness as economy dives

JANESVILLE — Linda never thought she would become homeless.

The 59-year-old woman, who preferred not to give her last name, lost her factory job four years ago. She’s held a series of jobs since then, but she’s always managed to stay employed.

Until now.

“This time, it just knocked me for a loop,” Linda said.

She lost her latest job at an Illinois company in December when the business closed.

“No one wanted me at my age.”

She couldn’t pay rent and moved March 1 into House of Mercy homeless shelter, Janesville.

Linda is part of an early trickle that local officials believe could turn into a deluge of homelessness in the next year.

Despite a host of layoffs, Rock County hasn’t seen a sharp increase in homelessness—yet, said Ron Del Ciello, House of Mercy director. Many former General Motors employees still are receiving almost full wages, and other laid-off workers are receiving extended unemployment and retraining benefits.

“I think later on it’s going to be just an overwhelming number of people (becoming homeless) as all the safety nets run out,” he said.

Already, residents are staying longer because they can’t find jobs, Del Ciello said.

One client has been at the shelter 11 days, he said. The client has filled out 20 job applications and gotten one interview with a temp agency.

“It’s just getting extremely, extremely difficult” to find a job, he said.

GIFTS men’s homeless shelter has seen more people become homeless for the first time this year, Treasurer Paul Benish said. The shelter has served about 80 men since it reopened in September, more than it served in all of 2007-08.

Benish will speak about the shelter at a community forum hosted by the Janesville League of Women Voters on Wednesday.

It’s difficult to tell how much demand has grown because the shelter was brand-new last year and open fewer months, he said.

But he has seen some success stories this year. Nearly 30 clients have found jobs and moved into stable housing, he said.

“People are still finding jobs if they’re willing to look for them,” he said.

There’s a short lag after the economy falters before you see the effects on homelessness, said Marc Perry, director of planning and development at Community Action of Rock and Walworth counties.

But organizations such as Community Action and ECHO already have seen increased demand for everyday needs, such as food and clothing. Demand at food pantries has shot up, Perry said.

ECHO struggles to meet the need for emergency rent assistance, Executive Director Karen Lisser said.

The organization provided rent assistance to 399 families in 2008, 37 percent more than in 2007, but turned away 425 people.

The good news is donations have remained steady this year, Perry said. People who can afford to give money still are, and those who can’t are donating items.

Local organizations hope to benefit from the federal stimulus package passed in February. Service providers are learning more “almost hourly” about the package, and they hope to work together to make the most of the money, Perry said.

He is organizing a forum Friday to discuss how organizations can best use the money.

“The goal when everybody walks out is to know as much as possible what funds are available, who is going to access them and how they are going to be distributed,” he said.

The organizations have to find out where they duplicate services and what needs aren’t met, he said.

“Right now, people can’t afford us to miss something,” he said. “We all have to adopt the mentality that it really doesn’t matter who provides the service as long as the service gets provided.”

Linda’s story

Linda wishes she’d done a lot of things differently.

She wishes she’d gone to college. She wishes she hadn’t sold her house so quickly when she ran into financial trouble.

Recently, she wishes she hadn’t quit a job at Kwik Trip for a better-paying job in Illinois.

The company closed after a few months, leaving Linda, 59, with no income in an economy where jobs rapidly are disappearing.

Linda, who preferred not to give her last name, said she hit rock bottom a few months after losing that job, when she sold almost everything she owned just to pay rent.

But things are looking up now that she’s entered House of Mercy homeless shelter, she said.

“Places like this give you hope,” she said. “It’s not all doom and gloom.”

Linda’s tale is becoming more and more common in Rock County. She worked in manufacturing all her life until her job was shipped to Mexico four years ago, right after she renovated her house.

She sold the house to pay her bills and moved into an apartment, bouncing from job to job in search of one that paid decent wages.

When her last job disappeared, she assumed she could get another, but people kept telling her she was “overqualified.” Someone finally told her that was code for “too old.”

But Linda keeps sending out applications and hoping for the best.

Her stay at the shelter has strengthened her faith and taught her to count her blessings even in the worst of times, she said. She’s thankful for her three children, grandchildren and first great-grandchild due in April.

When rejections come to her or fellow residents, she repeats her favorite saying: “No does not mean no.”

It’s not easy, but she knows she has to stay positive, she said.

“It’s being positive that pulls you through,” she said. “Being negative will pull you right down to the lowest possible (level).”

She keeps her spirits up by interacting with the shelter residents and volunteers, she said. She was surprised to find the younger women listen to her advice and have something to teach her, too.

And she dreams.

“I dream that I’m going to start over again—what kind of job I’ll have, even down to what kind of apartment I’ll have,” she said. “That keeps me going.”