ROCK HILL, S.C. — Advocates for the homeless say they’ve seen a sharp increase in the number of families with children on the verge of eviction, sleeping in hotels or in their cars.
They tell Channel 9′s Tina Terry that there just aren’t enough shelters for families, and one shelter even has hundreds of families waiting for help.
Melissa Carlyle, the operations coordinator with Catawba Area Coalition for the Homeless, says they’ve seen a spike in families looking for help.
“Unfortunately just due to a lack of affordable housing, we can’t house people, so we’re seeing people on the streets and in their cars, because there is no shelter available and no long-term housing options,” Carlyle said.
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Carlyle says only a few shelters in the area accept families with kids. Some of them, like Family Promise of York County, have a long waitlist.
“Right now we have a waiting list of 200 families that have contacted us with a need,” said Leslie Starnes, the executive director of Family Promise of York County.
If you’re in a family in need of shelter or services, you can reach out to Life House Women’s Shelter for assistance, along with Family Promise and Catawba Area Coalition for the Homeless.
>>At 5:30 on Channel 9, see how the housing shortage is affecting students in York County, and how the school district is responding.
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