Homelessness in the United States
History, Policy & Context
The United States currently has an estimated homeless population of 567,715 individuals. The individuals who make up this population come from a variety of backgrounds and make up a number of subpopulations that have been pushed into homelessness for a variety of reasons. Politicians and popular culture have been spreading the idea that homeless individuals become homeless because of their own shortcomings or "bad decisions" while reality stipulates that homelessness is caused by social and economic conditions and policy decisions. It is our intention that this website will educate the public about the root causes of homelessness in the United States and policy decisions. It is our hope that our visitors will walk away having learned something new about the causes of homelessness and with a strengthened sense of empathy towards those who are grappling with homelessness.
Explore this page to learn some basic facts about homelessness, including sub-populations and current statistics. Explore our timeline to learn about influential historical events and policies that have shaped homelessness to its current state, our policy + page for further reading on homelessness policies and other countries, and sources and further reading for links to the material we used in this site and for reading.
Types of Homelessness
Making Sense of a Complex Population
When many American’s think of homeless individuals, they oftentimes are thinking of visible, chronically homeless individuals; the folks who might panhandle on the side of road with a cardboard sign or who might approach us asking to buy them something to eat when we’re headed into a convenience store. In reality, the visible homeless only make up only 17% of homeless individuals but have the highest percentage of unsheltered homeless individuals of all subgroups (63%). Keep reading for more information about types of people experiencing homelessness.
Chronically Homeless Individuals
Individuals experiencing chronic homelessness frequently grapple with complex, long-term health conditions, such as substance use disorders, physical disabilities, serious mental illness, and other medical conditions. Shortcomings in social policy, such the 5 year limit for TANF (see timeline page for more on TANF), limited space in shelters, a decline in availability in affordable housing and a rise in waitlists for voucher programs, has made it extremely difficult for chronically homeless individuals to get back into housing and can lead to repeated or long term episodes of homelessness.
The Invisible Homeless
62% of homeless individuals are what we would consider the "invisible homeless". These are individuals and families who might be homeless but have managed to maintain some sort of shelter that keeps them off the street. This includes living in homeless shelters, staying with friends or families, couch surfing, or people who have been living in their cars. Watch the video below to hear from a family that has been living in their car long term due to the high cost of living in Seattle.
Children and Families
Adults and children in families comprise about 30% of the homeless population in the United States. As of 2020 about 171,575 people in families — or 55,739 family households — were identified as homeless and about 16,667 people in families were living on the street, in a car, or another place not intended for human habitation. Many families become homeless due to struggles with poverty; low wages in the United States, including our extremely low federal minimum wage, make difficult it difficult for low-income families to make ends meet. Many families in the United States are one adverse health event or unexpected cost away from falling behind on their finances. Once families fall behind on their bills they become at risk for foreclosure, tax sale, bankruptcy, or eviction.
Many landlords and rental companies disqualify tenants who have an eviction on their rental history, leading many to stay with family members, move into shelters, or live out of their cars or on the streets. These events can be incredibly destabilizing and traumatizing for children and can lead to them falling behind in school and developing mental health issues. Watch the video below from The National Alliance to End Homelessness to hear from children about their experiences with homelessness.
