Cold facts for homeless shelters
WHILE THE region has enjoyed a relatively mild autumn, the drop in temperature and increase in heating costs will cause many to adjust their thermostats -- and budgets. The cold fact is that the weather and price increases are indifferent and indiscriminate, and everyone -- regardless of economic status -- is affected by it.
But how we react to the rising cost of heating our homes and businesses can be very different. Some may turn down the thermostat 5 degrees and put on a heavy sweater. Others may absorb heating costs by forgoing vital medication to feed their children, skip paying the bills, or worse, become homeless.
A recent Energy Department report estimates that spending on heating oil in our region this winter will rise 27 percent and natural gas spending will rise 41 percent. Should colder weather prevail, expenditures could be even higher. This news could not come at a worse time for Massachusetts homeless shelters, which serve an estimated 10,500 families including 20,000 children.
Although most shelters receive government subsidies for heating fuel, it is a fixed amount covering roughly 60 percent of the cost under the best conditions, and private donations have to make up the shortfall.
Homeless shelters face many obstacles. When it's cold outside, shelters swell to capacity and beyond, causing a strain on the resources of these nonprofit organizations. Already on limited budgets to provide critical services, the vast majority do not have the resources to afford the increase. This is compounded by many donors' contributions leaving the state to answer disaster appeals while corporate America has shrunk, leaving fewer local, leading companies to give more to make up the deficit.
Another challenge is the building a typical homeless shelter occupies. Organizations often provide their services in larger, older buildings such as big houses from another era or converted dance halls, often with inefficient heating systems and inadequate insulation. Even high ceilings, an architectural feature coveted by many homeowners, draw the precious resource of heat away from where it is needed.
Perhaps the greatest challenge for homeless shelters managing increased heating costs is deciding what to sacrifice. You cannot simply turn the heat off, and the money has to come from somewhere. Among a shelter's resources to consider are bed counts, staff, and case management.
A higher energy cost will severely limit a shelter's capacity to assist the people they serve at a time when more than the weather is threatening a growing number of Massachusetts citizens with homelessness. A lack of affordable housing continues to contribute to the housing crisis and to homelessness. Nationwide, the shortfall of affordable housing units has ballooned to 4.4 million over the last three decades.
Even though more than 1 in 5 homeless parents are working while living in a shelter, there is no community in the United States where a full-time minimum-wage worker can afford a market-rate two-bedroom apartment. The factors that contribute to homelessness may be as diverse as the people it affects, but the result is the same: People are having trouble affording the basic need of housing.
Contemplate this sobering thought: Each one of us can be an illness, an accident, or a paycheck away from being homeless. Without family, savings, or other resources, would you know where to go? Could a shelter take you in when you get there?
Clearly, a homeless shelter's ability to pay its heating bills has an impact on the services it provides.
Defraying the cost of fuel for homeless shelters may not solve the problem of homelessness or the high cost of energy, but it provides hope during a time of year when it is needed most. For those of us in a position to return to a warm home at the end of the day, take a moment to think about the value of being able to adjust your thermostat as desired, and make a donation that will help keep others warm this winter.
Robert E. Smyth is chairman, president, and CEO of Citizens Bank of Massachusetts. 
