A 30-year-old white man in Wheaton, Illinois, has been homeless for five years, ever since he was caught unknowingly laundering money. He works full time to pay $1000 a month to the IRS as punishment for his crime. He cannot afford a home, so he sleeps in his car and uses services provided by the local homeless agency. He is representative (in race, age, and predicament) of the city’s homeless population.

In 1995, Wheaton residents discovered that two convicted sex offenders were living in their local shelters. Alarmed by what they saw as a growing problem, the city’s Task Force on Homelessness commissioned Dan A. Lewis (IPR-Education) to study the homeless issue and make recommendations. Lewis had conducted a similar analysis in Evanston a year earlier.

Lewis and co-investigator Bruce Nelson observed and interviewed 60 homeless and other local residents in 1997. They concluded that residents’ fears were not only greatly exaggerated, but that Wheaton’s homeless program could serve as a model for other suburbs.

They credit much of this to the Public Action to Deliver Shelter (PADS) program, the church-based, nonprofit, largely volunteer agency that has been providing shelter and food to the city’s homeless population since 1985.

The study concluded that ignorance has contributed significantly to local fear of the homeless, who are perceived as poor, unclean, and deviant. Much of this fear is not based on personal experience and runs counter to the local crime statistics. The researchers also noted a widespread displacement of anger to the agency charged with assisting the homeless. They believe this reflects a lack of awareness of PADS’ real accomplishments.

The homeless study sample was 73% male, 67% white, and 20% mentally ill. Contrary to Lewis and Nelson’s expectations, 41% came from local DuPage County and only 22% from the City of Chicago, most of them fleeing from drugs, gangs, and violence.

Income or employment-related causes accounted for 35% of the homelessness in the study. Many said their plight was short-term, induced by joblessness, and exacerbated by difficulties in commuting to jobs or to shelters. Expanded transportation and affordable housing options could counter some of these problems.

Over the five months of the study, the researchers observed only three individuals sleeping outdoors, and no panhandling, drunk, or disorderly behavior. Instead, many homeless were sleeping in the local library. These numbers could be reduced by extending PADS’ hours into a seamless schedule of day and night programming, and by stretching its overnight shelter season from seven to twelve months, the study suggested.

Noting that mentally ill persons fall outside the safety net provided by PADS, the report advised that the DuPage County Mental Health Department take charge of expanding services to this group. It also recommended educating residents about the economic, social, and health problems associated with homelessness and guiding them in appropriate responses to panhandling, loitering, and other acts they find offensive. More information about available services, as well as actual crime statistics, might also help alleviate public fear.

Following the study’s recommendation, Wheaton has established a Homeless Network, a broad group of community organizations organized to track trends in the homeless situation and address other issues and concerns.

The researchers have applied for federal funding to expand the study of suburban homelessness to other parts of the Chicago metropolitan region.

“A Study of Homelessness in Wheaton, Illinois” is available from IPR’s publications department for $10.00.