Similarly, data on services available to people experiencing homelessness was collected just before the crisis began. This information does, however, provide a sense of how prepared homeless systems were to serve a potential influx of new people into homelessness prior to the pandemic.
Thus, data on this group will not be fully updated until late or early , leaving a significant hole in available knowledge on homelessness. Between and , nationwide homelessness increased by two percent. This change marks the fourth straight year of incremental population growth. Previously, homelessness had primarily been on the decline, decreasing in eight of the nine years before the current trend began.
Progress has been modest. In , the number of unhoused people was only 10 percent lower than in the first year of nationwide data collection. COVID, elevated unemployment rates and widespread evictions could diminish or completely wipe out previous gains made by those working to end homelessness. Uneven Progress. While overall progress on ending homelessness has been modest, there is significant variation among subgroups.
Some have experienced striking reductions in their counts. Veterans are a good example of these reductions. Nationally, veteran homelessness has decreased 39 percent since Homeless families with children are another group that has decreased in size — 27 percent since And, before a trend reversal in recent years, chronic individual homelessness had dropped by 35 percent.
Multiple causes could explain why veterans, people with families, and chronically homeless individuals have had periods in which they have greater reductions in size than the overall group experiencing homelessness. However, factors external to homeless services systems also contribute to outcomes. At bottom, these subgroups illustrate that significant reductions in homelessness are possible and have occurred.
While real progress has occurred for populations such as veterans, others have been left behind— primarily individual adults. The number of individuals experiencing homelessness has remained static over time, decreasing by a mere 1 percent between and Individual homeless adults who are not veterans or chronically homeless have typically not been the focus of special attention or resources.
Even more troubling, in recent years, previous and significant gains made by chronically homeless individuals have been quickly eroding. As noted above, the size of this group had decreased significantly in the period before However, since that year, their numbers have surged by 43 percent. Unsheltered Homelessness on the Rise. Since data on homelessness has been collected, unsheltered homelessness has largely trended downward.
By , it had dropped by nearly a third. However, over the last five years, there has been a reversal of that trend. The unsheltered population has surged by 30 percent, almost wiping out nearly a decade of previous gains.
The number of people currently living unsheltered is virtually as high as it was in The trend of escalating numbers of people living unsheltered impacts nearly every major subgroup—including people of every race, ethnicity, gender, and most age groups. Only children people under 18 have realized an overall decrease in unsheltered homelessness during the current surge. Ending homeless is an ongoing challenge throughout America. However, the severity of the challenge varies by state and community.
Locating the areas experiencing the most significant challenges, and directing additional attention and possibly new resources towards them, could result in meaningful reductions in homelessness. There are two ways two evaluate geographic variations—counts and rates. Examining the jurisdictions with the largest homeless populations is informative. Many also have the highest populations, overall. For example, California is the most populous state in the union and also has the largest number of people experiencing homelessness.
Similarly, the Continuums of Care CoC with the largest homeless populations include highly populous major cities e. Fifty-seven percent of people experiencing homelessness are in five states California, New York, Florida, Texas, and Washington. Half are in the twenty-five CoCs. Thus, a significant share of this national challenge is in a small number of places with large homeless counts.
Meanwhile, most communities have relatively small homeless populations to serve. This should impact how the problem is addressed. 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. Homelessness in America What Causes Homelessness? Who Experiences Homelessness? Related Content. This website uses cookies to improve your experience.
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