What does it mean to be homeless?

The answers from third and fourth graders at Falls Elementary School Tuesday were revealing.

“No food,” said one student. “No baths,” said another, while other students added their ideas to the conversation led by Lesley Kruse, Kootasca Community Action coordinating of housing, and LeeAnn Meer, Kootasca director of community action.

The students put their words into action by creating posters about the homelessness. Using colorful pencils, markers and crayons, some of the posters listed their perceptions of the difficulties of being homeless, while other students described items that they would go without if homeless.

One boy suggested that a friend’s poster would be more effective if the tail on a dog depicted in orange crayon walking away from the stick-house “was between it’s legs to show he’s nervous” about being homeless.

The students are part of an effort to bring awareness of homelessness to Borderland by the Kootasca Community Action’s Housing Advisory Committee.

The effort will also include free admission to family-friendly movies at 11 a.m. Saturday at Cine5. The three movies, which will be shown at the same time in separate theaters, have been selected because they have a homeless theme, explained Kruse. The feature character in “Shrek I” is kicked out of the swamp; “Pursuit of Happiness” features Will Smith as a single dad who becomes homeless; and Mowgli in “Jungle Book” is homeless. A donation to the Salvation Army Food Shelf is requested at the showings.

Kruse said she encourages families to attend the movies because low income families are the largest rising homeless population in the nation.

Contrary to public perception, there are homeless people in Borderland, according to Kruse. Many of the homeless people in Koochiching County are single mothers with children, seniors, and there are a handful of people in their late teens and early 20s, she said.

“We do have homeless people,” said Kruse. “They are not as visible as in cities where they are on a street corner in a box. A lot of homeless are hidden in our community, living in trailers on pickups or in cars.”

People in Koochiching County become homeless as a result of a lack of living wage jobs and affordable housing. Most of the homeless in Koochiching, she said, have jobs but cannot afford housing costs.

At least 50 families would be homeless in Koochiching County without support services that are available, according to Kruse. Those services include Kootasca’s rental assistance program, transitional and emergency housing, Salvation Army programs, and emergency assistance and other programs that help with low income people offered through Koochiching County agencies.

Kruse says she hopes people come away from the movies more educated about homelessness and more aware of what’s going on in the community.

“Just because homelessness is not visible doesn’t mean doesn’t exist here,” she said.

Kruse said locally, people can help the homeless in our area by advocating for more affordable housing, jobs that pay a living wage, donating to area food shelves, and volunteering.

Who are the homeless?

A person is considered homeless who “lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence.” Some facts about homelessness and poverty that you may not know:

• Families with children are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population.  The primary cause of family homelessness is poverty.

• In America, at least 1.35 million children are homeless during a year’s time.

• Percent of families living in poverty: Minnesota — 7 percent, Koochiching County — 13 percent.  (337 families right here)

• Number of children living in poverty: Minnesota — one out of every 10; Koochiching County — one out of every six, about 537 children.

• In Koochiching County, nearly three times as many children live in poverty than the state average; 14.7 percent in Koochiching County; 5.1 percent statewide. Koochiching is ranked sixth in the state for the percent of children in poverty.

• In Koochiching County, 41 percent of female head of households with children under 18 are living in poverty. That compares with 24 percent statewide.

• Percent of families earning less than $25,000 a year: Koochiching County — 27 percent; statewide — 15 percent.

• A minimum wage worker would need to work 69 hours a week to afford Koochiching County’s fair market rent of $464 a month.

• In Koochiching County, 45 percent of households with incomes below $20,000 pay more than 30 percent of their income for home ownership.

• Without housing subsidies, the numbers of homeless families would quadruple in Koochiching County alone.

• Since 1979, housing costs have tripled, while real wages for the bottom 20 percent of workers has remained static.