Need grows urgent

The Richmond region is home to many thousands of generous people who give their time, skills, compassion and dollars to support our area's nonprofit organizations and the people who need help in our community.

On Tuesday, Central Virginia will recognize our spirit of giving by celebrating National Philanthropy Day. This special day recognizes the enormous contributions being made to our region by individuals, organizations, small businesses and corporations. That generosity has done much to strengthen our community over the years.

But today, as economic challenges continue to plague our nation, the difficulties faced by people here in the Richmond region have grown to urgent levels we have not seen in years.

United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg collects and examines community indicators and demographic data to identify top regional priorities and track trends in community strength. The data show that our community's critical needs are truly greater than ever.

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Recent reports show that the number of homeless children in the Richmond region is at a nine-year high. Every day in our community, there are 169 children experiencing homelessness — that's enough children to fill three school buses.

This startling discovery was made by Homeward, the planning and coordinating organization for homeless services in the greater Richmond region, and a United Way partner.

Twice each year, Homeward conducts a Point-In-Time Count that provides a snapshot of the number of people experiencing homeless on any given day. The 2011 Summer Point-In-Time Count revealed the increase in children experiencing homelessness, as well as an increase in the number of adults experiencing homelessness.

These increases are negatively affecting the availability of emergency shelter in our region. For the first time in years, there is a waiting list for shelter beds. It is taking a month or more for these children and adults to have a place to live where they have access to the services and support they need to obtain stable housing. But our children cannot wait.

Without help, many of the children experiencing homelessness now are likely to experience homelessness multiples times in their lives. Physical health, mental health and learning ability are the three best predictors of whether or not a child will grow up to become a successful adult. Parents who are struggling with job loss, debts, foreclosures and homelessness also struggle to provide their children with what they need to do well in school and succeed in life.

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This increase in the number of people needing shelter follows the increase in the number of our neighbors living in poverty across the region.

In this space last month, John Moeser — senior fellow at the University of Richmond's Bonner Center for Civic Engagement and professor emeritus of urban studies and planning at Virginia Commonwealth University — detailed the staggering poverty-rate increases that our region is seeing:

• The poverty rate in the city of Richmond has grown to 25.8 percent, the highest since the U.S. Census Bureau first began recording poverty in 1970.

• In a comparison of Census poverty rates from 2000 to 2010, the counties surrounding the city have seen double-digit increases. Henrico's rate grew by 94 percent. Chesterfield saw a 71 percent increase and Hanover experienced a 39 percent increase.

But it is the youngest among us who are suffering most. The number of children living in poverty in our region has grown by 30 percent in the past decade. In some areas, the numbers are especially high; in the city of Richmond, 1 out of every 3 children lives in poverty. And the Census numbers released in September revealed another increase in the region's poverty rate for children younger than 18.

These struggling children are the future of our region — and they are being shortchanged.

Children in poverty are more likely to have long-term health issues and are less likely to succeed in school. Research shows that 22 percent of children who have lived in poverty do not graduate from high school, compared to 6 percent of those who have never been poor. Our community's economic vitality depends on the next generation succeeding in school, moving into the work force and becoming the leaders of our future.

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We must not allow these trends to continue in our community. It is time for all of us who are able to take action and help those who are struggling so fiercely right now. The future may be uncertain for many of us as well, but that makes it even more important to invest what we can to help the adults and children — our neighbors — facing the greatest needs.

United Way is committed to strengthening the Greater Richmond and Petersburg region, and it will take all of us working together to meet the critical needs of our community. Now is the time for each of us to determine how we can step forward and make a difference.

In honor of National Philanthropy Day, United Way urges you to personally take action and change our community in one of three ways:

Give as generously as you can. Every dollar counts, and our children can't wait.

Advocate on behalf of others and speak out on the issues that move you. Tell the people you know about the urgent needs and ask them to make a commitment to help.

Volunteer for a cause that you care about. The gift of your time and skills can improve a child's life, assist an adult with finding a job or help an organization run efficiently in order to help those in need. To find volunteer opportunities, call 2-1-1 or visit the website for HandsOn Greater Richmond (handsonrva.org), another United Way partner.

The people of our region face challenges that continue to multiply. How we as a community respond to those challenges now will impact our region for years to come.