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The State of Homelessness in America

National Alliance to End Homelessness Jul 16, 2018
This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
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The State of Homelessness in America Giving Compass
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Giving Compass’ Take:

· Although numbers show that it’s on a decline, there is still a large number of Americans experiencing homelessness on any night. This is because the overall growth in population is outnumbering the growth of homelessness. The National Alliance to End Homelessness covers data from the 2017 Point-In-Time count and discusses data by state and the populations most at risk of homelessness.

· How can donors help support housing and programs for the homeless? 

· Learn about the crisis of unsheltered homelessness. 


The total number of people experiencing homelessness increased slightly compared with 2016, but the rate per 10,000 people is at its lowest value on record. This is because overall population growth is outpacing the growth of homelessness. Homelessness rates in individual states ranged from highs of 110 and 51 in the District of Columbia (D.C.) and Hawaii, to 5 in Mississippi.

In 2017, the vast majority of the homeless population lived in some form of shelter or in transitional housing (360,867 people) at the time of the point-in-time count. Approximately 34 percent (192,875 people) lived in a place not meant for human habitation, such as the street or an abandoned building. Single individuals comprised 66.7 percent of all people experiencing homelessness (369,081 people), with the remaining 33.3 percent being people in families (184,661 adults and children). Looking further, 7.2 percent were veterans (40,056 veterans), and 7.4 percent were unaccompanied children and young adults (40,799 children and young adults).

From 2016 to 2017, homelessness increased nationally by 0.7 percent. The largest increases were among unaccompanied children and young adults (14.3 percent increase), individuals experiencing chronic homelessness (12.2 percent increase), and people experiencing unsheltered homelessness (9.4 percent increase). The number of people in families experiencing homelessness decreased 5.2 percent.

Between 2007 and 2017, homelessness decreased overall and across every major category of homelessness nationally. Overall homelessness decreased 14.4 percent. The most dramatic decreases in homelessness have been among veterans (34.3 percent), individuals experiencing chronic homelessness (27.4 percent), and people living in unsheltered locations (24.6 percent).

Read the full article about the state of homelessness in America at the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

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Learning and benchmarking are key steps towards becoming an impact giver. If you are interested in giving with impact on Poverty take a look at these selections from Giving Compass.

  • This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
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    How Equity Programs Can Change Lives

    Giving Compass' Take: • On Equal Measure, consultant Altinay Cortes describes the impact of programs to promote greater equity, such as providing support for lower-income people in areas such as education and housing. • Are nonprofits doing enough to support such programs? This article also describes the journey that a child of refugees took to the Ivy Leagues, an inspiring story that reminds us how much work we have left to do. • In order to achieve greater equity overall, we need a new approach to funding. Here's where to start. My childhood in Millville, NJ, was filled with meetings. I can recall the joy I felt each time I went over my weekly calendar with my mother. I was the kid who signed up for everything. I joined so many clubs that I rarely went straight home after school. Early on, I intuitively knew that participating in so many programs could benefit my life. I was told that being well rounded was the only way to become successful, so I juggled sports, art, civics, and academic enrichment programs. I often felt like a waitress delicately carrying a tray full of drinks filled to the brim. In high school, I began to understand how certain programs could benefit me more than I had ever imagined. Equity programs became my focus. Equity programs vary in scope, but are designed to provide support to people in areas such as education, housing, food, etc. I joined a Gear Up program housed at Rowan University and a summer college readiness program at my local community college called Talent Search, which offered SAT/ACT preparation, tutoring, life skills workshops, and college courses. I learned so much that I finally realized that college was more than a dream; it was a true possibility! Through these programs, I visited many colleges and spoke with admissions counselors and students. I also received ample help on college and scholarship essays. My college applications reflected all the skills I learned from participating in equity programs. I was accepted by every college I applied to, and attended Howard University with a hefty scholarship in hand. I owe this accomplishment to equity based programming. Read the full article about the value of equity programs by Altinay Cortes at Equal Measure.


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