Post on 31-Mar-2015
Health Care of the Homeless
Homelessness In the U.S.
Michael Arnold, Executive Director
Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority
National Demographics of Homelessness in U.S.
• 643,067 homeless on any given night in U.S. (HUD ’09 – in Emergency Shelters, Transitional Housing Programs or sleeping in
locations not meant for human habitation)
• 37% are unsheltered– 21% of families with children are unsheltered
• 110,917 (17%) are chronically homeless (homeless for over 1 year, or 4 or more episodes of homelessness in 3 years)
• 930,000 school age children are literally homeless, or living in doubled or tripled up housing
National Demographics of Homeless in U.S.
• 20.5% (1/5th) of the total U.S. homeless population reside in California
• Approx. 1.56 million in the U.S. will use a homeless shelter or transitional program over a 12 month period.
• While total homelessness in U.S. has decreased over past four years, current economy may drive significant increases in future.
National Demographics of Homeless in U.S.
National Demographics of Chronically Homeless in U.S.
National Demographics of Homeless In U.S.
Homelessness and Disabilities
• Nearly 4 in 10 sheltered homeless (37.8%) has a disability, compared to 26.4% of the population living in poverty, and 15.5% of the total U.S. population.
Profile of Homeless in U.S.• Adult – 78% of all sheltered
homeless are adults.• Male – 61% are male.• Minority – 62% are
members of minority groups• Middle-aged – 38% are 31-
50 years old• Alone – 64% are in one-
person households
National Demographics of Homeless in U.S.
Characteristic Individuals * Persons in Families*
Gender of Adults •Overwhelmingly Male •Overwhelming female adults
Race •Twice as likely to be minority •Almost half are African American
Age •Three Quarters over 30 •More than 4/5s are under 31
Veterans •More than 1 in 10 are veterans •Emerging veteran population
Disabled •More than 4 in 10 are disabled •Low rates of disability
The profiles of homeless individuals and persons in families differs considerably.
* 5th HUD AHAR – Sheltered Data
National Demographics of Homeless in U. S.
Individuals Ethnicity Family
34.1% Black 47.9%
45.4% White 23.6%
10.4% Latino 13.9%
10.2% Other 14.7%
Gender
72.7% Male 20.4%
27.3% Female 79.6%
Characteristics of Sheltered Homeless
National Demographics of Homeless in U. S.
Characteristic % of All Sheltered Homeless Persons
% of Population at the 2008 Poverty Level
% of U.S. Total Population
Male 63.7% 40.5% 48.7%
Female 36.3% 59.5% 51.3%
Disabled 38.7% 26.2% 15.5%
Veteran 11.1% 5.2% 9.7%
Age <18 22.2% 33.9% 24.3%
Age 18-50 60.6% 45.7% 46.4%
Age >50 17.2% 20.3% 29.3%
Demographics of Homeless in Los Angeles County
• Los Angeles County Statistics– Covers over 4,000 square miles in extremely
diverse terrain – oceanfront, mountains, desert, rural, suburban
– 88 cities– 9,848,011 people (2009 est.- U.S. Census)
• Over 1 million living in unincorporated areas of County
Demographics of Homeless in Los Angeles County
• 48,053 homeless on any given night (2009)– 24% (10,245)
chronically homeless– 11% persons in
families– 89% single adults– 7.5% of total U.S.
homeless population– 2/3 unsheltered
• 24% with Mental Illness
• 41% with substance abuse problem
• 2% HIV• 10% Victims of
domestic violence• 17% Veterans• 2% Unaccompanied
Youth
Demographics of Homeless in Los Angeles County
Characteristic LA County U.S. Totals
Male 65% 63.7%
Female 35% 36.3%
Black/African American 47% 38.7%
Hispanic/Latino 29% 11.6%
White/Caucasian 21% 38.1%
Other 3% 11.7%
Veterans 17% 11.1%
Chronically Homeless 24% 17%
Demographics of Homeless in Los Angeles County
Causes of Individual Homelessness
• Lack of access to affordable housing• Mental illness and/or physical disability• Lack of resources (Poverty)
– No or low job skills– Inadequate education– Substance abuse– Discharge from public systems – correctional,
health, mental health, foster care, armed forces
Causes of Family Homelessness
• Lack of access to affordable housing• Domestic violence• Mental illness and/or physical disability• Lack of resources (Poverty)
– No or low job skills– Inadequate education– Substance abuse– Discharge from public systems – correctional, health, mental
health, foster care, armed forces– Lack of access to child care, transportation,
Finding Solutions – Trends in Reducing and Ending Homelessness
• Policy and funding shifts to redefine homeless Continuum of Care Models– Outcomes based rather than managing
homeless• Number housed versus number served
– Targeting – focusing on high impact homeless populations• Chronically homeless• Families• veterans
Finding Solutions – Trends in Reducing and Ending Homelessness
• New Programs – Rapid rehousing as a first response– Diversion – avoiding initial shelter entry
through housing placement– Prevention – keeping people in stable housing
• Anecdotal to Evidence Based Planning– Emphasis on evidence based data – Broad implementation of local Homeless
Management Information Systems
Finding Solutions – Trends in Reducing and Ending Homelessness
• New Programs – Rapid rehousing as a first response– Diversion – avoiding initial shelter entry
through housing placement– Prevention – keeping people in stable housing
• Anecdotal to Evidence Based Planning– Emphasis on evidence based data – Broad implementation of local Homeless
Management Information Systems