Heat wave could hike homeless count

The Norman Transcript

August 04, 2006 12:23 am

— 24-hour count scheduled to end at 5 a.m. today
By Carol Cole
Transcript Staff Writer
Norman's 24-hour homeless count scheduled to conclude at 5 a.m. today could be close to double, if early indications mean anything.
"The shelters are just getting slammed with people because of the heat," said Lisa Krieg, Norman grants planner.
Two caseworkers from Food and Shelter for Friends worked in steamy temperatures Thursday, checking outdoor hangouts like Lake Thunderbird and Sutton Wilderness and cooler indoor spots like the Norman Public Library.
Parks and other areas were to be checked overnight.
"Every homeless shelter in the area is taxed and has been since the heat wave began," said Elaine Hunter, executive director of Food and Shelter for Friends.
The various shelters around town will compile their numbers and have them available late next week, Krieg said.
By about 5 p.m. Thursday, Food and Shelter caseworkers had counted 69 homeless people "and that's just our count," Hunter said.
"It's going to be interesting to see how doing the count in the middle of a heat wave -- how it's going to skew the numbers," she said. "I anticipate they will be way up. We're seeing so many new faces."
And it could get worse before it gets better.
High utility bills were causing panic among low-income families this week, and Hunter said Thursday they had a flurry of people with small children in their office who had gotten cutoff notices and couldn't pay their utility bills.
Carol Cole 366-3538 ccole@normantranscript.com