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Who Is Homeless?
This fact sheet reviews definitions of homelessness and describes the
demographic characteristics of persons who experience homelessness. A
list of resources for further study is also provided.
DEFINITIONS
According to the Stewart B. McKinney Act, 42 U.S.C. § 11301, et seq.
(1994), a person is considered homeless who "lacks a fixed, regular,
and adequate night-time residence and; and... has a primary night time
residency that is: (A) a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter
designed to provide temporary living accomodations... (B) an institution
that provides a temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized,
or (C) a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used
as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings." 42 U.S.C.
§ 11302(a) The term "'homeless individual' does not include
any individual imprisoned or otherwise detained pursuant to an Act of
Congress or a state law." 42 U.S.C. § 11302(c). This definition
is usually interpreted to include only those persons who are literally
homeless -- that is, on the streets or in shelters -- and persons who
face imminent eviction (within a week) from a private dwelling or institution
and who have no subsequent residence or resources to obtain housing. The
McKinney definition of homelessness serves large, urban communities, where
tens of thousands of people are literally homeless. However, it may prove
problematic for those persons who are homeless in areas of the country,
such as rural areas, where there are few shelters. People experiencing
homelessness in these areas are less likely to live on the street or in
a shelter, and more likely to live with relatives in overcrowded or substandard
housing (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1996).
DEMOGRAPHICS
Two trends are largely responsible for the rise in homelessness over the
past 15-20 years: a growing shortage of affordable rental housing and
a simultaneous increase in poverty. Persons living in poverty are most
at risk of becoming homeless, and demographic groups who are more likely
to experience poverty are also more likely to experience homelessness.
Recent demographic statistics are summarized below.
AGE:
In 1998, the U.S. Conference of Mayors' survey of homelessness in
30 cities found that children under the age of 18 accounted for 25% of
the urban homeless population (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 1998). This
same study found that unaccompanied minors comprised 3% of the urban homeless
population. A 1987 Urban Institute study found that 51% of the homeless
population were between the ages of 31 and 50 (Burt, 1989); other studies
have found percentages of homeless persons aged 55 to 60 ranging from
2.5% to 19.4% (Institute of Medicine, 1988).
GENDER:
Most studies show that single homeless adults are more likely to be male
than female. In 1998, the U.S. Conference of Mayors' survey found that
single men comprised 45% of the urban homeless population and single women
14% (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 1998).
FAMILIES:
The number of homeless families with children has increased significantly
over the past decade; families with children are among the fastest growing
segments of the homeless population. Families with children constitute
approximately 40% of people who become homeless (Shinn and Weitzman, 1996).
In its 1998 survey of 30 American cities, the U.S. Conference of Mayors
found that families comprised 38% of the homeless population (U.S. Conference
of Mayors, 1998). These proportions are likely to be higher in rural areas;
research indicates that families, single mothers, and children make up
the largest group of people who are homeless in rural areas (Vissing,
1996). For more information, see Homeless Families with Children.
ETHNICITY:
In its 1998 survey of 30 cities, the U.S. Conference of Mayor found
that the homeless population was 49% African-American, 32% Caucasian,
12% Hispanic, 4% Native American, and 3% Asian (U.S. Conference of Mayors,
1998). Like the total U.S. population, the ethnic makeup of homeless populations
varies according to geographic location. For example, people experiencing
homelessness in rural areas are much more likely to be white; homelessness
among Native Americans and migrant workers is also largely a rural phenomenon
(U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1996).
VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE:
Of 777 homeless parents interviewed in ten U.S. cities, 22% said they
had left their last place of residence because of domestic violence (Homes
for the Homeless, 1998). In addition, 46% of cities surveyed by the U.S.
Conference of Mayors identified domestic violence as a primary cause of
homelessness (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 1998). For more information,
see Domestic Violence and Homelessness.
VETERANS:
Research indicates that 40% of homeless men have served in the armed forces,
as compared to 34% of the general adult male population (Rosenheck et
al., 1996). In 1998, the U.S. Conference of Mayors' survey of 30 American
cities found that 22% of the urban homeless population were veterans (U.S.
Conference of Mayors, 1998). For more information, see Homeless Veterans.
PERSONS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS:
Approximately 20-25% of the single adult homeless population suffers from
some form of severe and persistent mental illness (Koegel et al., 1996).
According to the Federal Task Force on Homelessness and Severe Mental
Illness, only 5-7% of homeless persons with mental illness require institutionalization;
most can live in the community with the appropriate supportive housing
options (Federal Task Force on Homelessness and Severe Mental Illness,
1992). For more information, see Mental Illness and Homelessness.
PERSONS SUFFERING FROM ADDICTION DISORDERS:
Surveys of homeless populations conducted during the 1980s found consistently
high rates of addiction, particularly among single men; however, recent
research has called the results of those studies into question (Koegel
et al., 1996). Briefly put, the studies that produced high prevalence
rates greatly over represented long-term shelter users and single men,
and used lifetime rather than current measures of addiction. While there
is no generally accepted "magic number" with respect to the
prevalence of addiction disorders among homeless adults, the frequently
cited figure of about 65% is probably at least double the real rate for
current addiction disorders among all single adults who are homeless in
a year. For more information, see Addiction Disorders and Homelessness.
EMPLOYMENT:
Declining wages have put housing out of reach for many workers: in
every state, more than the minimum wage is required to afford a one- or
two-bedroom apartment at Fair Market Rent.1 (National Low Income Housing
Coalition, 1998). In fact, in the median state a minimum-wage worker would
have to work 87 hours each week to afford a two-bedroom apartment at 30%
of his or her income, which is the federal definition of affordable housing.
Thus, inadequate income leaves many people homeless. The U.S. Conference
of Mayors' 1998 survey of 30 American cities found that 22% of the urban
homeless population were employed (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 1998). In
a number of cities not surveyed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors - as
well as in many states - the percentage is even higher (National Coalition
for the Homeless, 1997). For more information, see Joblessness and Homelessness
and Why Are People Homeless?.
IMPLICATIONS
As this fact sheet makes clear, people who become homeless do not fit
one general description. However, people experiencing homelessness do
have certain shared basic needs, including affordable housing, adequate
incomes, and health care. Some homeless people may need additional services
such as mental health or drug treatment in order to remain securely housed.
All of these needs must be met to prevent and to end homelessness.
FOOTNOTES
1. FMRs are the monthly amounts "needed to rent privately owned,
decent, safe, and sanitary rental housing of a modest (nonluxury) nature
with suitable amenities." Federal Register. HUD determines FMRs for
localities in all 50 states.
RESOURCES
Aron, Laudan Y. and Janet M. Fitchen. "Rural Homelessness: A Synopsis,"
in Homelessness in America, Oryx Press, 1996. Available for $43.50 from
the National Coalition for the Homeless, 1012 14th Street, NW, Suite 600,
Washington, DC 20005; 202/737-6444.
Burt,
Martha and Barbara Cohen. America's Homeless: Numbers, Characteristics,
and Programs that Serve Them, 1989. Available for $9.75 from The Urban
Institute, Publications Orders, 2100 M St. NW, Washington, DC 20037; 202/833-7200.
Federal
Task Force on Homelessness and Severe Mental Illness. Outcasts on Main
Street: A Report of the Federal Task Force on Homelessness and Severe
Mental Illness, 1992. Available, free, from the National Resource Center
on Homelessness and Mental Illness, 262 Delaware Ave., Delmar, NY, 12054-1123;
800/444-7415.
Homes
for the Homeless. Ten Cities 1997-1998: A Snapshot of Family Homelessness
Across America. Available from Homes for the Homeless & the Institute
for Children and Poverty, 36 Cooper Square, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10003;
212/529-5252.
Institute
of Medicine. Homelessness, Health, and Human Needs, 1988. Available (paperback)
for $28.95 from National Academy Press, Box 285, 2101 Constitution Ave.,
NW, Washington, DC 20055; 1/800-624-6242.
Koegel,
Paul et al. "The Causes of Homelessness," in Homelessness in
America, 1996, Oryx Press. Available for $43.50 from the National Coalition
for the Homeless, 1012 14th Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20005;
202/737-6444.
National
Coalition for the Homeless. Homelessness in America: Unabated and Increasing,
1997. Available for $6.25 from the National Coalition for the Homeless,
1012 14th Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20005; 202/737-6444.
National
Low Income Housing Coalition. Out of Reach: Rental Housing at What Cost?,
1998. Available from the National Low Income Housing Coalition at 1012
14th Street, Suite 610, Washington, DC 20005; 202/662-1530.
Rosenheck,
Robert et al. "Homeless Veterans," in Homelessness in America,
Oryx Press, 1996. Available for $43.50 from the National Coalition for
the Homeless, 1012 14th Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20005; 202/737-6444.
Shinn,
Marybeth and Beth Weitzman. "Homeless Families Are Different,"
in Homelessness in America, 1996. Available for $43.50 from the National
Coalition for the Homeless, 1012 14th Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington,
DC 20005; 202/737-6444.
U.S.
Conference of Mayors. A Status Report on Hunger and Homelessness in America's
Cities: 1998. Available for $15.00 from the U.S. Conference of Mayors,
1620 Eye St., NW, 4th Floor, Washington, DC, 20006-4005, 202/293-7330.
U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Rural Economic and Community Development. Rural
Homelessness: Focusing on the Needs of the Rural Homeless, 1996. Available,
free, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Housing Service,
Rural Economic and Community Development, 14th St. and Independence Ave.,
SW, Washington, DC 20250-1533; 202/690-1533.
Vissing,
Yvonne. Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Homeless Children and Families in Small
Town America, 1996. Available for $16.95 (paperback) from The University
Press of Kentucky, 663 S. Limestone St., Lexington, KY 40508-4008; 800/839-6855.
Last
updated - February 1999 - National Coalition for the Homeless
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