Nearly half of Michiganians see homelessness as a serious and growing problem in their own community, according to a new statewide survey.

A strong plurality of 47% of likely voters agreed that "homelessness or the risk of homelessness is a serious problem in my community," while only 33% disagreed. Some 85% believe that homelessness has gotten worse or stayed the same in the past six months.

"Michigan residents are well aware of how the foreclosure crisis and weak economy are pushing people into shelters, on to friends' couches or into the streets," said the state's Director of Homelessness Initiatives, Sally Harrison. "And they recognize the need for strong programs to provide assistance."

The poll was commissioned by the Michigan Campaign to End Homelessness in order to gauge Michigan residents' attitudes and awareness concerning homelessness. The Campaign is a collaborative effort launched in 2006 to eliminate homelessness in 10 years.

A copy of the survey and the results follow this article.

Among the key findings:

• There is broad recognition of the growing problem. Fully 44% believe that homelessness has increased in their community over the past six months, and only 2% believe it has declined.
• About seven in 10 Michigan residents agree that homelessness is not a lifestyle choice.
• Seven in 10 also believe that homelessness can happen to anyone.
• About one in six residents personally know someone who became homeless in the last six months.
• Homelessness is a huge concern to those with moderate incomes. Almost 40% for those earning less than $25,000 are worried that they or a member of their family may be at risk of becoming homeless.
• There is strong support for strengthening efforts to combat homelessness. While 46% believe their community's actions are "just right," 40 % believe more should be done, while only 3% say their community is doing too much.

The poll of 600 likely Michigan voters was conducted by the Lansing polling firm EPICMRA between June 12 and June 15. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 % age points.

Despite the strong understanding that homelessness is a serious problem, the poll also shows that few Michigan residents are aware of the scope of the problem. The Michigan Homeless Information System estimates that 100,000 individuals in the state were homeless in 2009, up 10% from 2008. Only about 15% of those surveyed guessed within 50,000 of that number.

"Clearly, we have much work to do to educate the public about the magnitude of homelessness in Michigan," said Ms. Harrison. "That is a central purpose of Michigan's Campaign to End Homelessness. On the other hand, it is important to note that many Michigan voters understand homelessness as a serious and growing problem, one that we need to do more to address."

Through the Campaign to End Homelessness, Michigan has become the first state in the nation to develop 10-year plans to eliminate homelessness in every county. The plans were developed locally and draw on support from businesses, service agencies, faith-based organizations government officials, civic leaders, and volunteers.

“Everyone knows that the collapse of the housing market has affected Michigan, so it is not surprising that so many see homelessness as an important issue,” said Ms. Harrison. “Many nonprofit agencies in our state are working hard to prevent homelessness whenever possible and get people re-housed quickly when they lose
their homes.”

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