Logan Ramsey
News Editor
One of the effects the pandemic brought as it spread across the country has been an increase in housing insecurity, leading to a higher homeless population. Data on homelessness in 2020 is not widely available considering the year isn’t over, but communities have already felt the effects of this. Bannock County is no exception.
It could also be difficult for a newly homeless person to find accessible information on what community resources are available to them if they don’t have access to the internet. This could and already has had deadly consequences.
A homeless man in his fifties was found dead by the Pocatello Police Department on Oct. 24. The Bannock County Coroner’s office ruled that the man likely died of exposure. The man was found in Simplot Square in the 100 block of South Arthur Avenue, less than a mile from Aid For Friends, a homeless shelter in Pocatello. The man was able to be identified, but the PPD have not released that information publicly.
“In this day and age, there should be no reason that somebody freezes to death when we have all of these buildings that could facilitate at least a night’s sleep,” said Stephanie Edwards, President of the Public Health Student Association (PHSA).
Melissa Caudle, an instructor at Idaho State University in the College of Community and Public Health and the advisor of the PHSA, said, “It’s really hard to say what the barriers were” to this man receiving the help he needed because of the myriad of issues he could’ve been facing.
Caudle said that he might not have known where the shelter was located, or he could’ve been facing transportation issues, or he might’ve had concerns about COVID-19 or all of the above.
BJ Stensland, Executive Director of Aid For Friends, said that what causes someone to become homeless could be a combination of mental health issues, physical issues, a loss of employment, cost of hospitalization, a split up of family or they could have never had a family.
Stensland said that before the pandemic, Aid For Friends didn’t have to keep a waiting list, but the population they’re seeing now exceeds a normal capacity. Normally there could be anywhere from 30 to 35 people waiting for shelter.
Edwards, a property manager in Pocatello, said, “I can tell you first hand, no, Pocatello does not have the proper capacities, procedures, protocol, any of that in place.”
There are several agencies in Pocatello that facilitate services for vulnerable populations. Bannock Youth Foundation, located at 620 W Fremont St, assists runaway youth. South Eastern Idaho Community Action Agency (SEICAA) provides housing to veterans and family services for victims of domestic violence. Aid For Friends is the primary housing facility in Pocatello.
Stensland said that people who lose their housing will often stay with their friends or family, and Aid For Friends ends up being a last resort.
“You have to think about if you get into a rough spot. Do you have a support system? That’s the one thing that separates those that come to our shelter, they don’t have that support system,” Stensland said.
The state government has not put any resources to strengthening Idaho’s existing support systems for vulnerable populations.
“I’ve never received a grant, or any money directly from the state of Idaho to operate,” Stensland said.
The Idaho Housing and Finance Association (IHFA) is the independent organization that allocates funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to shelters, including Aid For Friends. According to Jason Lantz, Director of Marketing and Communications for the IHFA, although the Governor appoints their board of directors, the Idaho state government provides no funding to the association.
“So, no, (the state government) doesn’t give us enough (funding). Anything would be helpful,” Stensland said.
Despite the state’s lack of engagement, Aid For Friends is making moves to relocate the shelter, which will allow them to more than double their shelter capacity.
It has already moved to a temporary location to provide isolated housing accommodations to protect against COVID-19 infections. Once the pandemic is over, Aid For Friends plans to move its operations permanently into the larger building, bringing their capacity from 34 to 40 people up to 74 to 90 people.
The new location will allow them to be ADA accessible with all of their services on one floor. The facility will have a dining area with an industrialized kitchen, a career center with access to the internet, common areas for socializing, privacy and a mini laundromat.
“It’s going to be a major upgrade for us,” Stensland said.
It’s not certain when the shelter will officially open, as the pandemic has to be over before they can reintroduce congregate living, but Stensland hopes for it to be open in the spring.
“We need to realize that this is a community effort. It didn’t come about by one agency doing it on their own, but it brought in many many partners and supporters. We’ll need volunteers like we didn’t before helping us fix meals, to help with the donation room, there will be a lot more that we can do with that facility,” Stensland said.
