This post and statistics first appeared on the National Alliance to End Homelessness’ website.
On any given night, more than 550,000 Americans are without a home. The Alliance’s State of Homelessness in America report sheds light on the population experiencing homelessness, the homeless system’s response, and how both are changing over time.
What the interactive report finds: While the vast majority of people experiencing homelessness live in some form of shelter or transitional housing, 34 percent live “unsheltered” in a place not meant for human habitation. Individuals comprise 67 percent of the homeless population and people in families make up the remaining 33 percent.
Since 2007, homelessness has decreased for most groups across the country, declining overall by 14 percent. The most dramatic decreases have been for veterans, individuals experiencing chronic homelessness, and people living in unsheltered locations.
Communities across the country respond to homelessness with a variety of housing and services. Over the last decade, they have placed a greater emphasis on permanent housing solutions, which now account for about half of the homeless assistance beds in the U.S.
The State of Homelessness in America report presents data on homelessness down to the state and local level, with detailed information on the change in regional homeless populations over time.
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