Homeless in the United States
The number of people experiencing homelessness in the United States remains stubbornly high despite substantial investment and efforts by local communities, the federal government and nonprofit organizations. Despite these successes, many questions remain about the nature of homelessness and how to best serve those affected. This article introduces the topic by defining and assessing methodologies used to count homeless people, describing socio-demographic characteristics of the homeless population and reviewing recent scholarly literature on these issues.
Homeless means that a person lacks a safe and decent place to sleep at night. The official definition of homelessness varies by state and municipality, but most include the absence of a “primary nighttime residence” such as an apartment, single family home or motel room. Localities may also define homelessness more broadly and include public spaces, such as underpasses or abandoned buildings. The vast majority of homeless people live in sheltered housing. The remainder live unsheltered, either sleeping on the street or in other places that do not provide regular sleeping accommodation, such as automobiles, tents and vacant commercial or industrial buildings.
People become homeless for a variety of reasons. They can be pushed out by rising rents or by unexpected financial shocks such as job loss, illness or evictions. Some families are “severely rent burdened,” spending more than half their income on housing. Any change in their financial situation, such as reduced hours at work or an expensive health care or repair bill, can push them into homelessness.
Historically, homelessness has been concentrated in urban areas. However, in recent years, it has spread to rural areas. The causes of rural homelessness differ from those of urban homelessness, but are often associated with structural factors such as the lack of affordable health care and the absence of a safety net.
In urban settings, homelessness tends to affect low-income people of color disproportionately. A lack of access to high-wage jobs, over-incarceration and discriminatory housing practices contribute to this racial disparity. In addition, the trauma of adolescence can be a precipitating factor for young black and Hispanic/Latinx people.
There are many ways to reduce the occurrence of homelessness. One is to address its underlying causes. Another is to increase the availability of affordable housing and develop more supportive housing models for individuals with behavioral health needs. Finally, a growing number of communities are piloting programs that provide basic income, which is a form of unconditional cash assistance that can be used for whatever purpose the recipient sees fit. This is a promising approach that should be considered more widely in the United States. A number of social entrepreneurs are working to put the principles of a basic income into practice, including the Denver Basic Income project and SchoolHouse Connection in Boston. However, the greatest opportunities for reducing homelessness lie in increasing economic mobility and addressing barriers to employment. This will require bold and visionary leadership at all levels of government. Until these obstacles are addressed, it is unlikely that the national goal of ending homelessness by 2025 will be achieved.