SANFORD — Ask someone in the school system and they’ll tell you. Kids come to school, trying to focus, and sometimes they’re sleepy, sometimes they’re dirty, sometimes they have head lice.

They and their parent, or parents, are couch surfing or homeless ”“ maybe sleeping in a car. And if you think this doesn’t happen in Sanford, folks here say you’d be wrong.

Megan Walsh, who works in the Sanford school system, has seen the little ones at school, trying to cope. And these youngsters are in other school settings, as well.

“We see them at Head Start,” said Debbie Downs of the York County Community Action Corporation (YCCAC). “There’s been a real uptick in homeless Head Start families.”

As the temperatures this week dipped into the teens during the day and hovered near zero or below at night, people here were talking about trying to find answers to a an issue that appears to be more and more pervasive: families with small children having no permanent place to lay their head at night.

Based on the number of calls for assistance to one local agency, incidents of homelessness in Sanford appear to be on the rise. Martha Bresnahan, also of the YCCAC, said she received 13 calls for help in April, 18 in May, 20 in June, 38 in July, 26 in August, 33 in September, 26 in October and so on. The number of calls represents both families and individuals, she said.

The Sanford Strong Coalition, during a forum Tuesday, heard from three folks who deal regularly with homeless individuals and families, or those on the brink of homelessness. And then, of course, there are the homeless people nobody hears from ”“ the folks who make their homes in tents in the woods and along the river.

Coalition members met to hear about the issue, said member Bob Jones, with the intention of forming a task force to tackle homelessness.

“I’ve felt alone in this issue,” said Bresnahan. “It can’t be solved by the (York County) shelter, or by me. Funding is down, and the need is bigger … People need to understand funding is gone.”

And that’s what she tells people as she works to help them find solutions, she said. Bresnahan said she tells them that perhaps moving in with a family member, for instance, might be an alternative. She told the group that agencies “put a Band-Aid” on the homeless issue when there was funding available, and now they can’t.

York County Shelters clinical director Jen Ouellette pointed out the agency ”“ which operates a 63-bed emergency shelter, plus 250 longer-term units and an array of services ”“ receives funding from 47 sources, each with its own set of requirements and restrictions. So, the agency tries to stretch dollars as far as they can, she said. She said the shelter receives between 500 and 600 calls for help each month.

Ouellette pointed out that there’s a five- to eight-year wait for housing vouchers. She said the agency, like YCCAC, began last fall to work with clients about thinking differently about their situation, but noted that often, those living at the shelter have minimal contact with family members.

She said that for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2014, 70 individuals and families sought assistance from the shelter in Alfred.

Statistically, at the shelter, Ouellette said single men with no insurance, no income and no means of employment make up 70 percent of the clientele and that often, clients are mentally ill or products of generational poverty.

At the shelter’s food pantry, 75 food boxes are dispensed on an average day, she estimated.

“So clearly, there’s a need, not only for shelter,” Ouellette said.

Rev. Sue Murphy, rector of St. George’s Episcopal Church, estimated the church spends about $15,000 annually in an effort to help people avoid homelessness ”“ for example, by paying a utility bill or rent. She pointed out that it’s more cost effective to help pay rent than it is to find housing for someone who has been evicted.

“The churches try to make a difference with people on the cusp of becoming homeless,” she said. “They come when they’re in crisis.”

She said often the people the church helps are folks who had been doing fine but fell behind in rent because of unemployment or an illness. Speaking in general terms, Murphy said, in some cases, homelessness happens because people haven’t learned how to budget the money they have. And, she said, “in this economy, the poor are getting poorer and the middle class has shrunk.”

Amy Marcotte of the Vet Center said the Point-in-Time Count of York County’s homeless will be on Jan. 28. In the first year of this survey, 60 people were counted; last year, there were 150. The count includes both veterans and non-veterans.

Lucas Labbe, an intake coordinator at York County Shelters, said the 63-bed emergency shelter is frequently near capacity, but, noting the dipping temperatures, he said if there’s a knock on the door, “we try not to turn anyone away.” He said folks must meet guidelines and rules, like being and staying sober.

“We’ll put up a cot if we have to,” he said.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.