Mayors' survey: Emergency food, shelter requests rose this year

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Requests for emergency food and shelter rose this year and officials of many cities expect the trend to continue into 2001 despite the country's strong economy and low unemployment, a U.S. Conference of Mayors survey found.

Emergency food assistance requests rose about 17 percent from last year, while requests for emergency shelter went up 15 percent, according to the survey of 25 cities being released Thursday.

In addition, demand for emergency food assistance by families with children increased 16 percent.

On average, 13 percent of requests for emergency food assistance went unmet last year, as well as 23 percent of requests by homeless people for emergency shelter.