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Length of Homelessness |
The homeless population is quite diverse in terms of their length of homelessness and the number of times they cycle in and out of homelessness.
Research conducted in 1996 found that 49% of homeless people were in their first episode of homelessness and that 34% had been homeless three or more times. Families and single homeless persons were equally likely to be in their first homeless episode, but single persons were more likely to have been homeless three times or more.
For 28% of homeless persons, their current episode has lasted three months or less, but for 30% it has lasted more than two years. Families were more than twice as likely as single persons to have been homeless for three months or less, while single persons were almost three times as likely as families to be in homeless spells that have lasted more than two years.
A survey conducted in 2000 found that people remained homeless an average of five months in the survey cities. Fifty percent of the cities said that the length of time people were homeless increased during the last year.
Other research on the length of homelessness indicated that 40% of homeless people had been homeless less than six months and that 70% of homeless people had been homeless less than two years.
Other research has identified three primary categories of homeless people:
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Transitionally homeless who have a single episode of homelessness lasting an average of 58 days,
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Episodically homeless who have four to five episodes of homelessness lasting a total of 265 days, and
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Chronically homeless who have an average of two episodes, lasting a total of 650 days.
Over a five-year period, about 2-3 percent of the U.S. population (5-8 million people) will experience at least one night of homelessness. For the great majority of these people, the experience is short and often caused by a natural disaster, a house fire, or a community evacuation.
A much smaller group, perhaps as many as 500,000 people, have greater difficulty ending their homelessness. As one researcher who examined a sample of this group over a two-year period found:
- Most - about 80% - exit from homelessness within about 2-3 weeks. They often have more personal, social, and economic resources to draw on than people who are homeless for longer periods of time.
- About 10% are homeless for up to two months, with housing availability and affordability adding to the time they are homeless.
- Another group of about 10% is homeless on a chronic, protracted basis - as long as 7-8 months in a two-year period. Disabilities associated with mental illnesses and substance use are common. On any given night, this group can account for up to 50% of those seeking emergency shelter.
Sources
Homelessness: Programs and the People They Serve - Highlights Report.
(1996) National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients. HUD
USER Policy Development & Research Information Service. Retrieved on
August 12, 2001, from http://www.huduser.org/
publications/homeless/homelessness/highrpt.html
How many people are homeless? Why? (n.d.) National Resource Center on
Homelessness and Mental Illness. Retrieved on September 26, 2001 from
http://www.prainc.com/nrc/facts/facts_question_1.asp
Myths and Facts about Homelessness. (n.d.) National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty. Retrieved on August 9, 2001, from http://www.nlchp.org/myths.htm
A Status Report on Hunger and Homelessness in America's Cities. (2000)
U.S. Conference of Mayors. Retrieved on August 11, 2001, from: http://www.mayors.org/uscm/hungersurvey/hunger2000.pdf
