For some, the word “home” represents a place of comfort, unity, safety; a place where
your mind can be at ease and you feel loved. For some it is a place where you live with
those you love; a place for family. But for many in our country and in our world, it is no
longer a place of stability to which they go for refuge, comfort and to feel a part of a
supportive, caring family unit.
Today more than ever, there is a shortage of housing units that low-income people can
afford. And as the gap between income and housing costs grows, more people face
homelessness.
Revelations From The PIT
According to the 2018 HUD’s Point-In-Time report, homelessness has increased slightly
by 0.3%, between 2017 and 2018 nationally. However, while the percentage is small,
that represents 1,834 people – human beings without a place to live.
Approximately 552,830 people were experiencing homelessness in the United States on
a single night in 2018 during the Point-in-Time or PIT count.
In Connecticut on a single night in 2018 during the PIT count, there were approximately
3,976 people experiencing homelessness, out of which 593 were natural disasters
evacuees from Puerto Rico who were staying in hotels paid for by the Federal
Emergency Management Agency - FEMA. While the results of the 2018 PIT count
represent a 17% increase between 2017 and 2018, the number of people staying in
emergency shelters, transitional housing and unsheltered in Connecticut has decreased
by 11% between 2007 and 2018.
This number represents 17 out of every 10,000 people in the United States. HUD’s
Annual Point-in-Time Count, the only nation-wide survey of homeless people, provides
this data and other useful statistics.
67 percent of people experiencing homelessness are Individuals. The remaining 33
percent are people in families with children. Public policy has put a focus on additional
subpopulations.
One of the subpopulations is youth who are under the age of 25 and living on their own
(without parents or children). This group is 7 percent of the total homeless population. In
recent years, coordinated efforts at all levels of government have also targeted veterans
which is 7 percent of the total homeless population, and chronically homeless people –
those with disabilities who have been homeless for an extended for an extended period
of time or repeatedly – comprise 18 percent of the homeless population.
The Gender And Race Demographics
Gender and racial demographics are an important part of the American homelessness
story. The homeless population is largely male. Among individual adults, 70 percent are
men. Interestingly, White Americans are the largest racial grouping, accounting for 49
percent of those experiencing homelessness. African Americans and American Indians
are dramatically overrepresented in the Point-in-Time Count compared to their numbers
in the general population.
Homeless individuals are experiencing far less progress, with their rates dropping by
only 10 percent. The group broadly includes some subgroup members (Veterans,
Chronically Homeless, Youth)—but most are adults who don’t fall into any one of those
categories. As the largest subgroup, making up 67 percent of the total population,
solutions for individuals are critical to efforts to end homelessness.
The State of the States
State-level trends mirror those at the national-level. Thirty-eight (38) states have
realized decreases in homelessness since 2007.
Michigan 70% (the largest percentage decrease).
Kentucky 54%
Georgia 52%
West Virginia 48% and,
New Jersey 46%
top the list of those making positive progress.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, 12 states and the District of Columbia have
experienced growths in homelessness that range from 1% in Iowa to 100 percent in
South Dakota.
Understanding where homeless people are located can help address the problem.
There is more than one approach to identifying the places experiencing the greatest
challenges. The below visualization shows the Top Ten States in terms of the number of
homeless people, and the rate of homelessness.
In terms of the number of homeless people, overall, the states with the greatest number
tend to be the most populous. However, there are a few, Oregon and Colorado, that top
the homeless count list while having relatively smaller populations. Sixty-seven percent
(67%) of people experiencing homelessness can be found in the ten states with the
largest number of homeless people. Calculating homelessness rates is another way to
locate challenges. It involves comparing the size of the homeless population to the size
of the general population in a given area.
The ten states with the highest homeless rates account for 55 percent of the homeless
population. New York, Hawaii, Oregon, California, and the District of Columbia top this
list. These states and jurisdictions also have the highest housing costs in the country,
and have been featured prominently within resources developed by housing
researchers and advocacy groups. Compared to other parts of America, residents in
these states spend higher percentages of their income on rent/mortgage payments.
The Plight Of The Homeless In America Is Real
When it comes to healthcare, treatment and preventive care can be difficult to access
for people who are homeless. This is usually because they lack insurance or have
difficulty engaging health care providers in the community
In addition to that, the homeless face significant obstacles to finding and maintaining
employment. Finding a home is a critical first step. Job training and placement
programs, such as those funded by the federal government, also provide the tools some
people need to secure stable, long-term employment. Improving access to supportive
services, such as childcare subsidies and transportation assistance, would
also go a long way in helping people stay employed, achieve housing stability and
remain housed.
The Global Overview
On the Global Scene, Forced Displacement is the major cause of homelessness –
where people are forced to leave their home and oftentimes their country – usually
because of war or civil injustices – in order to find a safer place to be.
Today, according to the UNHCR – the United Nations Refugee Agency, Forced
Displacement is at record 68.5 million. That means there are 68.5 million people who
are homeless.
According to UNHCR reports published June 2019, “Wars, violence and persecution
uprooted record numbers of men, women and children worldwide last year, making a
new global deal on refugees more critical than ever…”
The number of asylum-seekers awaiting the outcome of their applications for refugee
status had risen by about 300,000, to 3.1 million, by the end of December 2017. People
displaced inside their own country accounted for 40 million of the total, slightly fewer
than the 40.3 million in 2016.
Homelessness is real and it affects every region, every economy, every country, every
community – everyone. Yet, while homelessness is a very serious problem, it also
presents each one of us with the opportunity to reach out to those in need and allow the
better part of our humanity to shine and bring true light where homelessness and
hopelessness exist.
We can make a difference, because 1 + 1 = CHANGE!
