PERSONAL COSTS

Costs Of Homelessness

Over Half a Million Are Homeless Each Night

630,000 sleep outside or in an emergency shelter or transitional housing program.

(US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Annual Homeless Assessment Report, 2017)

358,422 Individuals, 206,286 In Families, And One Of Four Is a Child

(The National Alliance to End Homelessness, a one-night national survey.)

83,170 Are Chronically Homeless

Defined as someone who has a disability, has experienced homelessness for a year or longer, or experienced at least four episodes of homelessness in the last three years.

(US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Annual Homeless Assessment Report, 2017)

47,725 Homeless Veterans

45% are black or Hispanic. Less than 10% are women, though that number is rising.

(US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Annual Homeless Assessment Report, 2017)

1.4 Million Veterans At Risk of Homelessness

Often due to poverty, overcrowding in government housing, and lack of support.

(US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Annual Homeless Assessment Report, 2017)

The Chronically Homeless Are Most At Risk

They tend to have high rates of behavioral health problems, including severe mental illness and substance use disorders.

(US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Annual Homeless Assessment Report, 2017)

550,000 Unaccompanied Young Under 24 Are Homeless For A Week Or More

380,000 are under the age of 18

(US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Annual Homeless Assessment Report, 2017)

110,000 LGBTQ Youth Are Homeless

LGBTQ youths make up 20% of runaway kids across the country, typically due to family rejection, abuse, and neglect. They are also twice as likely to commit suicide than heterosexual youth.

(US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Annual Homeless Assessment Report, 2017)

Fifty Percent of the Homeless Are Over 50

Health and safety risks associated with age include injuries from falls, cognitive impairment, vision or hearing loss, major depression, and chronic conditions like diabetes and arthritis.

Costs of Substance Use

Two Of Three Attribute Homelessness To Drugs and/or Alcohol

(Didenko and Pankratz, 2007)

Substance Abuse the Leading Cause of Homelessness for 35%

Of unaccompanied adults

(The United States Conference of Mayors, a nonpartisan organization for cities with populations exceeding 30,000 people, which in 2015 asked 22 cities to investigate and determine their top three causes for homelessness.)

38% of the Homeless Are Dependent on Alcohol

(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2003)

26% Abuse Drugs

(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2003)

Alcohol Abuse Is More Common In Older Generations

(Didenko and Pankratz, 2007)

Drug Abuse Is More Common In Homeless Youth and Young Adults

(Didenko and Pankratz, 2007)

Opioid Use

• More than four out of five homeless overdose deaths are from opioids.

Nicotine Use

• A reported 73% of the homeless are addicted to nicotine, which is over three times higher than the rate for non-homeless people

Heroine Use

• Heroin accounts for approximately 18 percent of admissions for drug treatment in the United States