Chapter 90
Statistics On America’s Homelessness
More than 170,000 families were added to the roles of homeless shelters in 2009, an increase of nearly 30% since the recession began. This was the second straight year that figures showed an increase.1
Throughout the year approximately 1.56 million people found themselves without a place to call home. This report is the first comprehensive national homeless study that identifies the seriousness of the current housing problem. This study seems to have opened the eyes of some politicians in Washington who are saying they will strengthen efforts to address the impact of homelessness in all of its forms including homelessness facing a greater share of families with children and the sad issue of homeless veterans.
A recent study by the national Alliance to end Homelessness found that from 2007-2008 there was an 8.5% increase in families moving into homes with others. The concern is that now both families are finding themselves homeless.1
FACTS: Resources on internet give widely varying statistics, but the following list researched in 2010 serves as a frightening example of the reality of the “new” homeless situation in America. Statistics confirm that there are a growing number of non-traditional, new homeless comprising families, women, and children. These statistics should alert us to how serious the homeless problem is already, and alarm us as to just how serious this homeless problem could get in the future as many American economists expect conditions to worsen.
The following are the latest statistics available:
• 78 % of all sheltered homeless persons are adults.
• 61 % are male.
• 62 % are members of a minority group.
• 38 % are 31-to-50 years old.
• 64 % are in one-person households.
• 38 % have a disability 2
Other Recently Reported Statistics From A Variety Of internet Sources:
• 43% of the homeless populations are women.
• 40% of these women are unaccompaned.
• 22% of homeless women claim domestic abuse as the reason for homelessness.
• Families with children comprise 40% of the homeless population.
• Vets constitute 40% of the homeless population.
• 200,000 Veterans are homeless, and 400,000 Veterans will experience homelessness in the course of a year.
• 25% of the homeless nationwide are employed.
• 25% of the nation’s homeless are children.
• 1.35 million children experience homelessness during the year.
• 200,000 children are homeless on any given day.
• in Mississippi 29% of homeless are families.
• Children under the age of 18 account for 39% of the homeless population. 42% of these are under the age of 5.
• 3.5 million people (1.35 million of which are children) will experience homelessness in a given year.
• The majority of all shelter users (53 percent) are single adult males.
• Children represent roughly 20 percent of all people who use the shelter system.
• Fourteen percent of all homeless adults who accessed a shelter during the six-month time period are veterans.
• A significant proportion of the sheltered homeless population is disabled.
• “…in a typical interfaith Hospitality network, half of the guests are children, most of whom are under six years of age.” (interfaith website)
Accurate statistics for the homeless population are always difficult since they are scattered, transient, and rarely have an address of any kind. Some have determined that families with children will frequently not seek help for fear of having their children removed from their care. Many homeless may live in their cars or with other families, so their numbers are frequently not registered in any statistical reporting.