Homelessness

To be in a state of having no consistent residence

Definition of Homeless

The government definition of homeless is: - A person that has no residence.

However several writers have sought fit to divide this broad group of people characterized as homeless into 3 different groups

1) People without a place2) People in constant poverty forced to move constantly and

are homeless for brief periods of time.3) People who have lost their housing due to sudden

circumstances

Structural Factors and Reasons for Homelessness

Structural Problems

Changes in housing market Change in employment

opportunities for people with a high school diploma or less

Minimum wage Birth rate in low income

families Policies for state run mental

institutions Unemployment Levels

Personal Problems

- Adult and Childhood victimization

- Mental Illness - alcohol/drug abuse - Low level of education - Poor or no work history - Too early childbearing

Both Structural and Personal factors play a role in producing the homeless

Factors Influencing Homelessness

Nature of national and local job opportunities for low skilled workers; unemployment

Social Policy:-Benefits-People with disabilities Income

Household resources:- # of potential resources- Education/skills/work exp.- Social support networks- Owner/renter-Savings, financial resources-Disabilities, vulnerabilities

Availability and cost of housing

Fiscal and monetary policy

Interest Rates

Tax Policy

Housing Market

Government policy specifically for low-cost housing

Health Care and Homelessness

For struggling families a serious illness or disability can start a downward spiral into homelessness

- In 2000, approximately 38.7 million Americans had no health care insurance (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1998)

- 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.

Other Factors Related to the Homeless

Mental Illness- Approximately 22% of the single adult

homeless population suffers from some form of severe and persistent mental illness (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2001).

Domestic Violence-34% of cities surveyed by the U.S. Conference

of Mayors identified domestic violence as a primary cause of homelessness

Addiction- Drugs and Alcohol are disproportionately high

among the homeless

Affordability of Housing Between 1970 and 1995, the gap between the number of low-income

renters and the amount of affordable housing units skyrocketed from a nonexistent gap to a shortage of 4.4 million affordable housing units - the largest shortfall on record (Institute for Children and Poverty, 2001)

Between 1991 and 1995, median rental costs paid by low-income

renters rose 21%; at the same time, the number of low-income renters increased

Basically there is not enough low income housing and the low income housing that is available has risen to being more expensive then most impoverished families can afford. Also in the last decade millions of SRO’s have been terminated or changed into other forms of real-state and housing assistance has not risen to meet the demand.

National Homelessness 3.5 million people, 1.35 million of them

children, are likely to experience homelessness in a given year (Urban Institute 2000)

- Which translates to 6.3% of the population of people living in poverty

39% of the national homeless are children

Homeless Shelters 37% of requests are unmet due

to lack of resources.

- Up 13% 2001-2002 52% of requests by families

were denied.

- Up 22% 2001-2002 Rural areas of the United States

have homeless but even more inadequate shelters.

Predicted homeless exceeds shelter space in every major city.

Children and Homelessness

Of the children and youth identified as homeless by State Departments of Education in 2000, only 35 % lived in shelters

34 % lived doubled-up with family or friends

23 % lived in motels and other locations

The Hidden Homeless- The Hidden Homeless are people that are homeless but live in places that make it impossible for researchers to quantify.

The most common places people who had been literally homeless stayed were vehicles (59.2%)

Makeshift housing, such as tents, boxes, caves, or boxcars (24.6%)

Homeless Demographics Age

- Youth under 18 make up 39% of the urban homeless population

- Unaccompanied minors make up 4% of the homeless

- 51% of homeless are between the age of 31-50 years old

- 55-60 year olds make up 8% of the homeless population.

Homeless Demographics

Gender- Single homeless adults are

more likely to be male then female- Single men comprise 40% of

the homeless- Single women comprise 14%

of the homeless

Homeless Demographics Ethnicity

- In its 2001 survey of 27 cities, the U.S. Conference of Mayor found that the homeless population was

- 50% African-American - 35% Caucasian - 12% Hispanic - 2% Native American- 1% Asian

(U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2001)