TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) -- The homeless population in the big bend is on the rise.
That's according to people at the Big Bend Homeless Coalition.
There is troubling new information about the actual number of homeless people in Leon County and where they are spending their time.
Susan Pourciau spends most of her time trying to solve the homeless problem in Leon County. But despite her best efforts the homeless population is growing.
Pourciau from the Big Bend Homeless Coalition says, "They don't know where their next meal might be coming from they don't know where they'll stay the night. It's a crisis we are facing."
The crisis we are facing isn't what we're use to. Many homeless people live on the streets. But Pourciau and her volunteers say many of the homeless people they counted are making thier homes deep in the woods out of plain sight.
Pourciau says, "So they might pitch a tent. Maybe five or xix people sleeping in the same area. They cook there they leave the camp sight go to work or go look for food for instance."
Pourciau says last year they counted about seven hundred and fifty homeless people living in Leon County. According to their preliminary numbers this year the Big Bend Homeless Coalition says there are more than a thousand.
The temperatures are falling. Making things even worse for people living in the elements.
Pourciau believes now is the time to act. She says, "I think it is a real call to action. We have a thirty-five percent increase in the number of people homeless locally."
