Homelessness in America What Causes Homelessness? Who Experiences Homelessness? Related Content. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.
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This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information. More information about HUD and its programs is available at www. Skip to main content. HUD No. This represents 2. After steady reductions from to , homelessness has increased in the last four consecutive years. The increase in homelessness was due to the rise in unsheltered individuals a 7 percent increase from and this increase impacted the large increase in individuals experiencing chronic homelessness a 15 percent increase since The increase in unsheltered homelessness is driven largely by increases in California and coincide with increases in overall homelessness.
Veteran homelessness did not decline in Youth homelessness is slightly down a 2. People of color are significantly over-represented among people experiencing homelessness.
Homelessness Among All People The total number of people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January is ,, an increase of 2. Chronic Homelessness On a single night in January , there were , individuals experiencing chronic homelessness, just over one-quarter of all homeless individuals. Unsheltered Homelessness On a single night in , nearly four in ten 39 percent or , people were in unsheltered locations such as on the street, in abandoned buildings, or in other places not suitable for human habitation.
Family Homelessness There were , people in families with children who experienced homelessness on a single night in , essentially the same as in Veteran Homelessness On a single night in January , 37, veterans were experiencing homelessness in the U. Homelessness Among People of Color African Americans and indigenous people including Native Americans and Pacific Islanders remained considerably overrepresented among the homeless population compared to the U.
Homeless counts are just one approach to understanding the nature of homelessness. Putting them into context adds nuance to the story. For example, suppose , people were to experience homelessness in California a state with more than 39 million people , those would be far less challenging circumstances than , people being homeless in Wyoming a state with roughly , people.
Thus, it is helpful to consider the homeless population in relation to the general population. Rates of homelessness vary widely across the country.
For example, the northeast Oklahoma CoC has the lowest rate in the country, reporting 1 person experiencing homelessness out of every 10, people. Meanwhile, the Humboldt County CoC in California has the highest rate of people being homeless out of every 10, Many of the states and CoCs with the highest rates of homelessness have the highest housing costs. Low-income people in such jurisdictions find it difficult to secure and keep housing they can afford, impacting homelessness.
Other jurisdictions with high rates of homelessness have high rates of poverty. For example, CoCs like Humboldt and Imperial City in California top the above ranking list, being among those ten CoCs with the highest rates of homelessness in the country. They also have high poverty rates, exceeding 20 percent of their overall populations. Such jurisdictions have relatively low housing costs but have a lot of people experiencing economic hardships, some resulting in homelessness.
Understanding Homelessness within a Jurisdiction. Jurisdictions that compare their data to that of other jurisdictions can gain new insights into the severity of their challenges. For instance, the jurisdictions with the highest rates of homelessness people homeless as a percentage of the general population will know that they are, in fact, experiencing more challenges than other parts of the country.
Comparisons can also help to identify best practices worthy of replication. When CoC A learns that it has a significantly higher rate of homelessness, it will likely seek out explanations for the differences. The dashboard at the top of this page and the above rankings chart are helpful in making in-depth comparisons among states and CoCs.
Thus, it is helpful to examine the difficult decisions they must make, including how much of their limited funds should be spent on temporary versus permanent housing. Temporary Housing. For the first time in five years, CoCs increased their overall number of year-round temporary housing beds Emergency Shelter, Safe Haven, and Transitional Housing.
In January , there were 2 percent more of these beds than in the previous year. And the total year-round bed count was 11 percent lower than the all-time high, which occurred in A national-level snapshot of the reach of homeless services systems is informative.
Individual community circumstances vary. However, in the aggregate, systems were able to offer a year-round bed to only 50 percent of individuals, but to percent of families with a surplus of nearly 18, beds. During the winter months, some communities temporarily supplement these year-round beds with seasonal ones.
Thus, they may be able to serve more people during that time of the year. But, unfortunately, many people are unsheltered, sleeping on sidewalks, in abandoned buildings, or in other locations not meant for human habitation. Being unsheltered is typically a challenge for individual adults, but some families with children are also in these situations.
Current data reflects circumstances in January The pandemic interrupted access to temporary housing services. Permanent Housing. CoCs have had years in which temporary housing offerings were on the decline. Over the last five years, these types of beds grew by 20 percent.
These numbers reflect a shift in policy priorities. In recent years, there has been a renewed emphasis on housing people as quickly as possible rather than allowing them to linger indefinitely in shelters and unsheltered locations. Forty-six states and the District of Columbia have contributed to this trend over the last five years, growing their number of permanent housing beds.
Currently, 58 percent of all homeless system beds are designated for permanent housing. Thus, permanent housing placements should be continuing on an upward trajectory in , , and possibly beyond. Common Forms of Assistance. Nationally, the most common forms of homeless assistance are permanent supportive housing 40 percent of system beds and emergency shelter 32 percent of system beds.
During that time period, the former expanded by percent and the latter by percent. Only one type of intervention has been on the decline—transitional housing. There are 56 percent fewer beds in this category than there were in This shift is responsible for decreases in the overall availability of temporary housing in recent years.
It further reflects the policy goal of moving more people into permanent housing as quickly as possible. Many Americans live in poverty , amounting to nearly 34 million people or As a result, they struggle to afford necessities such as housing. In , 6. This marked the fifth straight year of decreases in the size of this group. However, the number of severely cost-burdened American households is still 10 percent higher than it was in , the year the nation began monitoring homelessness data.
In , an estimated 3. Some doubled-up people and families have fragile relationships with their hosts or face other challenges in the home, putting them at risk of homelessness. Over the last six years, the number of doubled-up people has been trending downward but is 3 percent higher than in Over a period lasting more than a decade, the nation has not made any real progress in reducing the number of Americans at risk of homelessness.
In fact, these challenges are slightly worse. The trends lines in the above chart point to severe house cost and doubled-up numbers that are higher in than they were in Reduced work hours and elevated unemployment during the recession may be increasing housing cost burdens and driving more people into doubled-up situations.
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