NATIONAL ESTIMATES OF HOMELESSNESS
This information is taken from a fact sheet issued by the National Coalition for the Homeless:
There are several national estimates of homelessness. Many are dated, or based on dated information. ... The best approximation is from a study done by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty which states that approximately 3.5 million people, 1.35 million of them children, are likely to experience homelessness in a given year (National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, 2007).
These numbers, based on findings from the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, Urban Institute and specifically the National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers, draw their estimates from a study of service providers across the country at two different times of the year in 1996. They found that, on a given night in October, 444,000 people (in 346,000 households) experienced homelessness -- which translates to 6.3% of the population of people living in poverty.
On a given night in February, 842,000 (in 637,000 households) experienced homelessness -- which translates to almost 10% of the population of people living in poverty.
Converting these estimates into an annual projection, the numbers that emerge are 2.3 million people (based on the October estimate) and 3.5 million people (based on the February estimate). This translates to approximately 1% of the U.S. population experiencing homelessness each year, 38% (October) to 39% (February) of them being children (Urban Institute 2000).
In early 2007, the National Alliance to End Homelessness reported a point-in-time estimate of 744,313 people experiencing homelessness in January 2005. The complete fact sheet is available from NAEH. Click here to see their fact sheet: NAEH Fact Sheet.
MINNESOTA ESTIMATES OF HOMELESSNESS
In Minnesota, we are very fortunate to have more current and complete information about homelessness than is available for any other state. Wilder Research, part of the Wilder Foundation in St. Paul, conducts a statewide survey of homelessness every three years, in October. The most recent survey was conducted in October 2006. In addition to the actual count of individuals and families found in shelters, outside and in short-term housing, Wilder Research applies evidence-based formulas to round up the actual counts, to adjust for the inevitable persons who were not found, and therefore were not counted.
For more information and to download Wilder summaries of their research, click on this link:
