Homelessness Facts & Figures

COMM 527 Health Communication

Alexa Flickinger-Renzi, Megan Mah, Tanya Tariq, Dillon Yee



Matt Wheeler, 2017

Introduction

Homelessness can be defined as the state of having no home or permanent residence. To further define this term, the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty (2015) adds that homelessness also extends to individuals living in shelters, transitional housing, and public places not meant for human habitation. 2.5 to 3.5 million Americans fall into any of the above descriptions.

The same study finds that there exists an addition to the above estimated figures: There are 7.4 million Americans who have lost their homes and who temporarily live with others in order to survive. This is a total of approximately 10 million people -- 3% of the population or 3 out of every 100 people you know. The study also acknowledges that there are probably even more homeless people than they could count as it does not account for any person(s) that have not reported as homeless or have not visited a shelter.

In order to get a better sense of homelessness within the United States of America, we first need to acknowledge how the U.S. identifies the term.

What is homelessness?

Figure 1. Graph of Percent of Homeless People By Household Type and Sheltered Status, 2016. Reprinted from The 2016 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress, by The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, November 2016, retrieved from https://www.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/2016-AHAR-Part-1.pdf/ Copyright 2016 by The Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Among the many definitions of homelessness, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) explains homelessness as an individual who lacks housing and also as an individual whose primary residence during the night is a supervised public or private facility whose main intentions are to provide a temporary living situation (The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2016). The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)'s definition of homelessness is very similar; however, they add that in order for a individual to be considered homeless, the evening facility used by the individual(s) for sleep is/was not originally intended for human beings (The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2016).

What causes homelessness? Why are so many people homeless?

From the report "Homelessness in America: Overview of Data and Causes" (2015) by the The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, contributing causes of homelessness in regards to both families and unaccompanied minors are a result of the lack of affordable housing, unemployment, poverty, and low wages (in that order).

Figure 2. Exhibit 1.8 of States with the Highest and Lowest Rates of Unsheltered Persons, 2016. Reprinted from The 2016 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress, by The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, November 2016, retrieved from https://www.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/2016-AHAR-Part-1.pdf/ Copyright 2016 by The Department of Housing and Urban Development.

How does homelessness impact the public/societal/community health?

According to the American Public Health Association (2017), homelessness impacts the healthcare system by driving up cost and taking up time and resources of hospitals. Public safety and health are also another issue as homelessness increases public defecation, drug use, and leftover used needles on the streets. On an individual level, the state of being homeless is problematic as it creates new health problems while exacerbating existing ones. According to the Nation Health Care for the Homeless Council (2011), "...those experiencing homelessness are three to four times likely to die prematurely than their housed counterparts". In order to further explore this social issue, it is useful to begin with understanding actual lived experiences of homeless individuals: Personal Experiences with Homelessness.

Citations:

References

American Public Health Association. (2017). Housing and homelessness as a public
health issue. Retrieved from https://www.apha.org/policies-and-advocacy/public-health-policy-statements/policy-database/2018/01/18/housing-and-homelessness-as-a-public-health-issue

Figure 1. Graph of percent of homeless people in 2016. Adapted from 'The 2016
Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress,' by The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2016, p. 8.

Figure 2. Exhibit of states with the highest and lowest rates of unsheltered homeless
people in 2016. Adapted from ‘The 2016 Annual Homeless Assessment

Report (AHAR) to Congress,’ by The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development, 2016, p.13.
Homeless-!!! (2017). [photograph]. New York City, New York. Matt Weber.

National Health Care for the Homeless Council. (2011). Homelessness & health:
What's the connection?. Retrieved from
http://www.nhchc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Hln_health_factsheet_Jan10.pdf

National Health Care for the Homeless Council. (2018). What is the official definition
f homelessness? Retrieved from
https://www.nhchc.org/faq/official-definition-homelessness/

The National Law Center of Homelessness & Poverty. (2015). Homelessness in
america: Overview of data and causes. Retrieved from https://www.nlchp.org/documents/Homeless_Stats_Fact_Sheet

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (2016). The 2016 annual
homeless assessment report (ahar) to congress. Retrieved from https://www.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/2016-AHAR-Part-1.pdf

Additional References

Donovan, S. & Shinseki, E. (2013). Homelessness is a public health issue. A Publication of the American Public Health Association. 103:52, 180, DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2013.301727

Eastman, J. (2016). Most of the oregon’s homeless families live on the street, in cars, parks: Highest percentage in u.s., says hud report. Retrieved from https://www.oregonlive.com/trending/2016/11/homeless_unsheltered_oregon_hu.html

USC Provost. (2016). Definition of homelessness. Retrieved from
https://www.provost.usc.edu/initiatives/wicked-problems/homelessness/definition-of-homelessness/