As the recession looms over much of the country, many Athens residents are feeling the pinch through job losses and home foreclosures. As a result, some Athens homeless shelters are struggling to accommodate new entries.

“We are primarily a shelter for families and try to provide them with a transitional housing space for up to two years, in hopes of getting them back on their feet again. But we have limited space, and unfortunately right now we have a long waiting list,” said Alison Spiers, a University graduate and executive director of the Athens Area Homeless Shelter.

The shelter serves all of Northeast Georgia and takes on the most urgent cases of homelessness, especially cases which affect children.

Failed mortgages have put thousands of people out on the street nationwide. Philip Mangano, executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, estimated the U.S. is likely to experience a 20 percent increase in homelessness in 2009.

Spiers said the AAHS and other area shelters are struggling to accommodate the increased number of homeless people with both living space and supplies.

“The rate of homelessness has gone up, while the accommodations available have gone down. There are only 88 beds available in Athens for a homeless population that is much larger,” Spiers said.

According to census data, Athens has historically had large numbers of people living below the poverty line and a visible lack of affordable housing, which is identified by the National Law Center for Homelessness and Poverty as one of the primary causes of homelessness.

However, Athens-Clarke County has not been as affected by home foreclosures as surrounding counties. A majority of the homeless families who find themselves in the situation as a result of foreclosures have come from areas surrounding Athens, Spiers said.

“Nationally and throughout Georgia, we are seeing an increase in homeless families due to the recession, and many of these individuals are from middle-class backgrounds who never imagined that they might be facing homelessness one day,” Spiers said.

Homelessness is affecting people across the board, but families who have been evicted because of a lost job have been hit hard. Nearly 71 percent of the Athens Area Homeless Shelter’s residents are under the age of 18.