Logansport Pharos-Tribune from Logansport, Indiana • Page 5

Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, Indiana, Monday, December 29, 1986 Page 5 People Nation's Homeless A Shadow Over Holidays Number of homeless Americans up 20 percent in '86; scarcity of affordable housing blamed United Press International The number of Americans without homes this holiday season is up 20 percent over last year, and particularly alarming is the increase in whole families without shelter and, in some areas, people who are homeless even though they have jobs. And there is no prospect that it will get better, according to a spot check by United Press International and reports from authorities. In common, those speaking on behalf of the displaced are calling for a national response from the White House and Congress. Until 51 percent of the people get it in their "hearts and minds" that they must wage the campaign for the homeless, there will be no significant national response, according to Bob Hayes, the New York founder of the National Coalition for the Homeless. "Politicians follow a parade," he said, "and then they want to lead it." The newest evidence of the severity of the homelessness crisis was revealed just before Christmas when the U.S.

Conference of Mayors issued a report saying the ranks of the homeless had increased by 20 percent in 1986. The report confirmed trends that were reported last fall by the National Coalition for the Homeless. "TODAY IN AMERICA more men, women and children are homeless than at any time since the Great Depression," said a Coalition survey of shelter operators, advocates and officials in 21 cities. "In city after city, town after town, record numbers of Americans lack even the basics: a bed to sleep in and a meal to eat." Hayes, of the Coalition, said the major reason for the homeless epidemic was "the extreme scarcity of affordable housing." Experts told the Coalition homelessness was the major effect of massive cutbacks in federally subsidized housing. They also said the homelessness was fueled oy cuts in federal benefits programs that leave mothers unable to both pay rent and put food on the table.

Hayes said, however, homelessness cannot be blamed on policies of the Reagan administration alone. He said the roots less money for public housing go back several administrations, Democrat as well as Republican. Exact numbers of homeless across the nation are hard to come by. Estimates range from 350,000 to several million. Hayes estimates there are 2 million to 3 million people without basic shelter.

Included in his estimate are the mentally ill put out of institutions with no place to go; battered wives forced to flee with their children; people crippled physically or mentally by drugs or alcohol; plus the unemployed and, increasingly, employed people with low-wage jobs. Those who can't get into a shelter sleep in cars, on park benches, in doorways or stretched out on grates over heat outlets from large office buildings. Typically they huddle near possessions packed into carts or shopping bags. "ONE CAN WALK UP and down the street and see them," said Ellen Hombs of the Community for Creative Non-Violence, an advocacy group in Washington, D.C. "Things are not better this year for the homeless.

Besides, there are more of them." In Miami, Brother Paul Johnson at Camillus House said it was impossible to count the homeless. "There seem to be more of them this year," he said. Camillus house serves some 700 meals a day to a portion of the Miami's homeless. Some Facts The U.S. Conference of Mayors report, which surveyed 25 major cities, said: average of 24 percent of the dem.and for emergency shelter goes unmet.

In 72 percent of the cities emergency shelters must turn away people for lack of resources. Homelessness is expected to increase in 84 percent of the survey cities during 1987. most significant change in the cities' homeless population during 1986 has been the number of families with children. Four out of five of the survey cities reported that the number of families seeking emergency shelter was up. In 72 percent of the cities, corn- prise the largest group for whom emergency shelter and other services are lacking.

The demand for emergency food assistance increased by one-fourth during 1986 in all but three of the survey cities. An average of 23 percent of the demand for emergenccy food assistance currently goes unmet. United Press International Public Ballroom Dancing Back Home In Indiana' After an absence of 28 years, public ballroom dancing will return to the Indiana Roof at Indianapolis in January. A live band will be used for that purpose two nights a month during January, February and March. The first couple of months there will be 10 "floating" dance instructors on the dance floor.

Although the city of Indianapolis owns the Roof, Melvin Simons and Associates have a 99-year management contract. Almost three-fifths of young people in the United States have had sexual intercourse by the time they're 17 years of age, but most of them seldom, if ever, use birth control, according to a poll conducted by Louis Harris and Associates for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The poll showed that 20 percent of the 17-year-olds had had intercourse by the time they were 14 and 29 percent by age 15. At every age level, more boys than girls had had the experience. At age 17 it was 61 percent of the boys and 53 percent of the girls for a combined 57 percent, and 56 percent used no birth control the first time.

Purdue University denies that a course in the Japanese language, to be taught there beginning Jan. 22, has any connection with the plans of two Japanese companies to build a major automobile manufacturing plant at the southeast edge of Lafayette. The 14-week non-credit course being offered by the Purdue Department of Continuing Education, will be taught by Barry Howell, graduate physics student, who is a former missionary in Tokyo. The course to be offered from 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursdays will teach basic verbal Japanese; enough for anyone to communicate with native Japanese who understand at least a little English.

The course has been offered before. The cost of $66 can be paid at the first class meeting. Meanwhile, the West Lafayette school board is trying to decide whether Japanese classes should be put in its curriculum, since from 50 to 60 Japanese children of the plant's employees are expected to enter Lafayette area schools. Walter Bartz of the Indiana Department of Education said that department is interested in expanding Japanese instruction because Hoosiers are having more and more contact with Japan through that country's business activities in the United States. Last year 32,139 deer were killed by Hoosier hunters and this year the final total is expected to be 8,000 more than last year's figure.

To give some indication of the amazing growth in Indiana deer herds, the kill in 1981 was only 17,849, less than half of this year's. More liberal deer hunting regulations this year were partly responsible for the big increase in the kill. Many motorists have gained first hand knowledge of how numerous the deer are by running into them as the animals wander across roads in this area, mainly at night. The congressional documents and papers that have been accumulated by Rep. Elwood (Bud) Hillis during 16 years in the House of Representatives will be given to Taylor University in Grant County by Hillis.

Under the Hillis agreement with the university, the public will have access to his private papers 15 years after the date of each paper. Since Hillis has been in office 16 years, that means some of the papers will be available to the public as soon as he leaves office and others won't be available until 2001. Fry Appointed To PWP Regional, Zone Positions Linda Fry, Logansport, has been appointed Parents Without Partners Central Indiana Regional Council (CIRC) 1987 awards chairman and International Youth Exhibits Awards (IYEA) chairman. CIRC includes 16 chapters. She has also been appointed Zone International Adult Talent Awards (IATA) chairman for 1987.

Zone covers Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia. Top Twenty EH'ers Celebrate Christmas Members of Top Twenty EH Club held their Christmas party in the home of Joan Davis. The event featured a gift exchange and games. The next meeting will be Jan. 14 in the home of Marge Hood.

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