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