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Catholic Charities of 'I 'he Diocese of Palm Beach Samarilan Center Be PROGRAM NEED STATEMENT (Entire .Section B not to exceed one page) 1 . a) What is the unacceptable condition requiring change? b) Who has the need ? c) Where do they live ? d ) Provide local, state, or national trend data , with reference source, that corroborates that this is an area of need . a) The unacceptable condition requiring change is that of homelessness, a lack of higher education, vocational skills training and parenting skills . In addition, there are typically problems of substance abuse, physical and emotional abuse, financial problems, legal issues, transportation difficulties, mental health issues , and a general lack of adaptive life problem solving skills b) The need its realized by families that are homeless or living in unacceptable living conditions . Families must consist of at least one adult age 18 + with at least one child age 0- 17 or a pregnant female 18 years or older. c) They must be residents of Indian River County. Most are in the process of being evicted . Some have already been evicted and are living in cars, tents or on someone ' s porch for a limited time : In some cases the court mandates that a parent come into our program in order to be reunified with their child/children. d) Data : The Department of Children and Families annual report on Homeless Conditions in Florida dated June 20, 2002 states that : The profile of Florida' s homeless has shifted . Although single adult males make up 41 % of the total homeless population, families and children continue to be a growing segment of the homeless in Florida. Families now make up 37. 7% of all homeless persons . Children under 18 years of age now comprise over 27%. The causes of homelessness remain rooted in poverty and the lack of affordable housing. Complicating the situation for many individuals and families are related problems of mental health , substance abuse and the breakup of family units . While the causes of homelessness are varied and unique to each person and family, so too must be the strategies employed to help each person and family overcome their problems to attain a level of self-sufficiency needed to re-enter the housing market. Through an article in the "Facts of Life in Indian River County", the Treasure Coast Homeless Services Council reports that on any given day, the county has 457 people without permanent homes . Some live outdoors , others live in shelters, cars or are in the county jail . 2 . a) Identify similar programs that are currently serving the needs of your targeted population ; b) Explain how these existing programs are under-serving the targeted population of your program . a ) The only local program similar to ours is the Homeless Family Center. They served 17 families consisting of 40 children during the last year. In addition , they turned 23 families away. The HAC also received a grant for rental assistance for homeless families and assisted 28 Indian River County families consisting of 73 children . b) Underserving the targeted population is shown by the number of people turned away by HAC & Samaritan Center. Our records indicated that 157 families applied for residency at S . C . during the last calendar year. This consists of 180 adults . 245 children and 16 unborn children . Of these , 17 families were not I. R. C . residents and therefore not eligible for our program , 5