Homeless count down, but more on brink

Akron’s homeless count is down from 187 last year to 151, but that may be because harsh weather has forced them into homeless shelters. There were about 800 in shelters last year.. The number from this year is not available yet.

Last year, 252 were either homeless or precariously housed–staying with friends but with no place of their own. Volunteers this year found more people living in tents than in the past and also interviewed 17 people who said they were military veterans. They found one pregnant woman ''living by herself in a tent.''

Nearly 320 people who were interviewed Tuesday night during the Point in Time Homeless Count indicated they either were homeless or ''precariously housed,'' said Susan R. Pierson, vice president of services for InfoLine and the chairwoman of the Continuum of Care for the Homeless.

The number of those who fall under the ''precariously housed'' category — meaning someone staying with friends or relatives but with no place of his/her own — has sounded an alarm with Pierson

Those people, often considered ''couch surfers'' for where they sleep each night, could be the next wave of the homeless, Pierson said.

''Almost at any moment, if one thing bad happens, they could be out on the street,'' she said.

Click on the headline to see a report by Jim Carney in today's Akron Beacon Journal.