Homeless Facts and Figures

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Below are some eye opening facts about homelessness in the United States

What is the definition of homelessness?

Video: Home at Last?

Different definitions of homelessness are used in different contexts. Generally, homelessness is defined as a person who "lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence."

How many people are homeless?

The number of homeless is difficult to ascertain because estimates vary depending on the methodology used. Numbers also vary substantially depending on whether a measurement is taken on a single night or is extrapolated to a given year.

One approximation of the annual number of homeless in America is from a study done by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, which estimates between 2.3 and 3.5 million people experience homelessness. According to a study released this month by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, an estimated 744,313 people experienced homelessness in one night in January 2005. Some 56 percent of them were living in shelters and transitional housing and, 44 percent were unsheltered.

	MAP: Homeless Estimates by State (click to enlarge)

Which states have the most homelessness people?

Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington State, and Washington, D.C. have the highest rates of homelessness, according to a study released in 2007 by The National Alliance to End Homelessness.

How many of the homeless are children?

In this year's National Alliance to End Homelessness study, 59 percent of homeless people counted were single adults and 41 percent were persons living in families. A total of 98,452 homeless families were counted.

Another estimate comes from 1996 data commissioned by the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. It says that while most homeless are unaccompanied adults, the number of homeless families is growing:

66% are single adults, and of these, three-quarters are men
11% are parents with children, 84% of whom are single women
23% are children under 18 with a parent, 42% of whom are under 5 years of age

What is chronic homelessness?

According to the study previously noted, 23 percent of homeless people were reported as chronically homeless. According to HUD's definition, a person who is "chronically homeless" is an unaccompanied homeless individual with a disabling condition (e.g., substance abuse, serious mental illness, developmental disability, or chronic physical illness) who has either been continuously homeless for a year or more, or has had at least four episodes of homelessness in the past three years. In order to be considered chronically homeless, a person must have been sleeping in a place not meant for human habitation and/or in an emergency homeless shelter.

What are the greatest causes of homelessness?

Homelessness may be caused by a variety of factors, but the coincidence of increased levels of poverty and decreased numbers of affordable housing often to blame. Other notable causes may include:

Lack of healthcare
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2004 nearly a third of persons living in poverty had no health insurance of any kind. The coverage held by many others would not carry them through a catastrophic illness.
Domestic violence
In 2005, 50 percent of the cities surveyed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors identified domestic violence as a primary cause of homelessness.
Mental illness
Many mentally ill homeless people are unable to obtain access to supportive housing and/or other treatment services. A 2005 U.S. Conference of Mayors study found that about 22 percent of the single adult homeless population suffers from some form of severe and persistent mental illness.
Substance Abuse
While recent research questions the disproportionately high rates of alcohol and drug abuse among the homeless population, and no agreed-upon statistics exist, poor people who abuse substances are far more likely to experience homelessness than their sober counterparts.

Are veterans more likely than other populations to be homeless?

Yes. About 40 percent of homeless men are veterans, although veterans comprise only 34 percent of the general adult male population. The National Coalition for Homeless estimates that on any given night, 200,000 veterans are homeless.

For more see: National Coalition for Homeless: Homeless Veterans (pdf)

What are some other demographics of homeless people?*

Racial and ethnic minorities, particularly African Americans, are overrepresented

41% are non-Hispanic whites (compared to 76% of the general population)
40% are African Americans (compared to 11% of the general population)
11% are Hispanic (compared to 9% of the general population)
8% are Native American (compared to 1% of the general population)

Homelessness continues to be a largely urban phenomenon:

71% are in central cities
21% are in suburbs
9% are in rural areas

People who are homeless frequently report health problems:

38% report alcohol use problems
26% report other drug use problems
39% report some form of mental health problems (20-25% meet criteria for serious mental illness)
66% report either substance use and/or mental health problems
3% report having HIV/AIDS
26% report acute health problems other than HIV/AIDS such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, or sexually transmitted diseases
46% report chronic health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or cancer

* Figures based on 1996 data from Samhsha's National Mental Health Information Center.

For more see: Samhsa's National Mental Health Information Center: Homelessness—Provision of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services

What legislation exists that addresses homelessness?

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act was the first —and remains the only—major federal legislative response to homelessness. President Ronald Reagan signed the act into law in 1987.

Although the Act has undergone many changes since its inception, it resulted in several programs that have helped hundreds of thousands of Americans regain stability through emergency shelter, transitional housing, job training, primary health care, education, and some permanent housing. However, critics claim the greatest weakness of the Act is that it responds to the symptoms of homelessness more than its causes.

For more see: HUD: Mckinney-vento Homeless Assistance Act

How do you measure homelessness?

Measuring homelessness is difficult because of the fluidity of the homeless population.

Part of the difficulty stems from varying methodologies used to measure homelessness. Some researchers attempt to count all the people who are literally homeless on a given day or during a given week, called a "point-in-time" count. Critics say this method is likely to overestimate the number of chronically homeless and underestimate the number of people who experience temporary homelessness.

A second method of counting homeless people examines the number of people who are homeless over a given period of time, also called a "period prevalence" count. Critics of this method point to the difficulty of standardizing measurements. Other affecting factors in measuring homeless rates include the duration of counting and time of year of counting.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has recently instituted standardized reporting requirements to include both those inside the system (in shelters), and those outside (unsheltered) using a point-in-time count.

For more see: The National Alliance to End Homelessness: Homelessness Counts

What can I do to help?

The best ways to help are to volunteer, advocate, and contribute.

An extensive list of advocacy organizations, including local organizations around the country, is available from the National Coalition for the Homeless.