Homelessness impacts Black Greenville residents more, report shows
Note: This story was edited on May 18, 2022, to add context to a quote from the coordinator of the Greenvlle Homeless Alliance.
Almost half of Greenville's homeless population is Black despite Black people making up just 18% of Greenville County's total population, according to the most recent data released by the Greenville Homeless Alliance.
GHA coordinator Susan McLarty attributes this in part to the income disparity between Black people and white people in Greenville County.
"Blacks are simply not being included," McLarty said.
GHA coordinator Susan McLarty.
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The median household income for Black residents in Greenville is $27,892, Census data show, and that's about half of the median income for Greenville's overall population.
This means that Black families must earn 127% of the local median income for their race to afford housing geared to the affordable market earning 50% of the overall median income.
McLarty said because of this, the median-income model for establishing affordable rates is outdated.
"Affordable housing and racial displacement are so important," McLarty said. "And unless we develop new policies, based on more precise measurements, providing the first will not prevent the second."
GHA shared the results of its report with Greenville County Council on April 28, the 54th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, which made housing discrimination illegal in the U.S.
The report also found that:
At least 3,281 people experienced homelessness from 2019-20 in Greenville County
Of those experiencing homelessness, 1,148 are school-aged children. (School-aged homelessness includes living in motels, couch surfing)
In the Greenville County Schools system, 86 of 94 schools have children experiencing homelessness
At South Carolina's minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, a person would have to work 81 hours a week to afford a modest one-bedroom apartment at Greenville's fair market rent of $826 per month
In Greenville County, there's a lack of affordable housing that's contributing to a growing number of homeless folks. Housing experts suggest investing in more emergency shelter, transitional housing and permanent housing as a solution.
GHA leaders also discussed solutions to problems Greenville County is facing, including investing in more emergency shelters as well as transitional and permanent housing options.
However, shelter success is hard to measure, Salvation Army social service director Lauren Stephens said, especially for those struggling with addiction, a notable problem in the homeless community.
"Coming inside is a big step," Stephens said. "Choosing sobriety, even if for a week, is a huge step forward toward success."
The biggest problem right now, she said, is figuring out where people can go after they exit shelters. The shelters are full and inflow should match outflow.
"If (the shelters) become empty, they're full that next night," Stephens said.
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Tish McCutchen, director of the Jolley Foundation that invests in nonprofit organizations to address community needs, said its a big step to even be talking openly about homelessness in Greenville.
"I think the fact that homelessness is now talked about, it's recognized as a problem we need to solve together it is no longer invisible," McCutchen said.
Read the full report here:
2021 Report on Homelessness by Genna Contino on Scribd
Contact Genna on Twitter @GennaContino. Subscribe to The Greenville News at greenvillenews.com/subscribe.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Report: Black Greenville residents impacted by homelessness more
