National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day

"National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day remembers those who have died as a result of being homeless, and raises awareness of the risks associated with homelessness.

Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day (HPMD) events held around the United States on or around the 21st day of December honor those who have died because they did not have shelter. They also serve as reminders of the hardships and risks people who are homeless may experience.

Compared to the general population, people who experience homelessness are at greater risk of infectious and chronic illness, poor mental health, and substance abuse. They are also more often victims of violence, prior to and once homeless. Homeless persons also have a mortality rate four to nine times higher than those who are not homeless.  With an estimated 39.7 million Americans living in poverty, 19 million experiencing housing insecurity, and 27.3 million without health insurance, the risk of homelessness and poor health is a concern for 1 out of 8 Americans..."
Homelessness

National Homeless Person's Memorial Day

"This day serves to raise awareness of those who don’t have a place to call home, and to remember those who have died as a result of being homeless. Since 1990, our country has observed National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day.

As we approach the close of another year, we recognize Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day (HPMD) on the 21^st day of December. The events held around the Nation honor those who have died because they did not have shelter, as well as serve as reminders of the countless hardships and risks people who experience homelessness continue to face.

Compared to the general population, people who experience homelessness are at greater risk of infectious and chronic illness, poor mental health, and substance abuse. They are also more often victims of violence, prior to and once homelessness. Homeless persons also have a mortality rate four to nine times higher than those who are not homeless. With an estimated 40 million Americans living in poverty, 19 million experiencing housing insecurity, and 28 million without health insurance, the risk of homelessness and poor health is a concern for 1 out of 8 Americans..."
Homeless Person's Memorial Day

Chronic Homelessness: Background, Research, and Outcomes

"Chronically homeless individuals are those who spend long periods of time living on the street or other places not meant for human habitation, and who have one or more disabilities, frequently including mental illnesses and substance use disorders. In the 2014 Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) point-in-time count of people experiencing homelessness, more than 84,000 individuals met the definition of chronically homeless, down from more than 120,000 in 2008. In part the decline is due to the federal government’s plan, announced in 2002, to end chronic homelessness within 10 years. The target date has since been extended to 2017. Among the federal programs focused on ending chronic homelessness are the HUD Homelessness Assistance Grants, the HUD and Veterans Affairs Supported Housing Program (HUD-VASH), and several HUD demonstration programs.

One of the reasons that federal programs have devoted resources to ending chronic homelessness is studies finding that individuals who experience it, particularly those with serious mental illness, use many expensive services often paid through public sources, including emergency room visits, inpatient hospitalizations, and law enforcement and jail time. Even emergency shelter resources can be costly. In addition to potential ethical reasons for ending chronic homelessness, doing so could reduce costs in providing assistance to this population..."
Homelessness

Veterans and Homelessness

"The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan brought renewed attention to the needs of veterans, including the needs of homeless veterans. Researchers have found both male and female veterans to be overrepresented in the homeless population, and, as the number of veterans increased due to these conflicts, there was concern that the number of homeless veterans could rise commensurately. The 2007-2009 recession and the subsequent slow economic recovery also raised concerns that homelessness could increase among all groups, including veterans.

Congress has created numerous programs that serve homeless veterans specifically, almost all of which are funded through the Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). These programs provide health care and rehabilitation services for homeless veterans (the Health Care for Homeless Veterans and Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans programs), employment assistance (Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program—a Department of Labor program—and Compensated Work Therapy program), and transitional housing (Grant and Per Diem program) as well as supportive services (the Supportive Services for Veteran Families program). The VA also works with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide permanent supportive housing to homeless veterans through the HUD-VA Supported Housing Program (HUD-VASH). In the HUD-VASH program, HUD funds rental assistance through Section 8 vouchers while the VA provides supportive services. In addition, the VA and HUD have collaborated on a homelessness prevention demonstration program..."
Veterans

Ending Youth Homelessness

"In 2012, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) issued theFramework to End Youth Homelessness detailing the steps necessary to achieve the goal of ending youth homelessness by 2020, and strategies to improve outcomes for children and youth experiencing homelessness. This framework articulates the need for government, non-profit, civic, and faith community partners to focus together on the overall well-being of youth experiencing homelessness — addressing not just their need for stable housing, but also their educational and employment goals, and the importance of permanent adult connections in their lives..."
Youth homelessness

Veterans and Homelessness

 "The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have brought renewed attention to the needs of veterans,
including the needs of homeless veterans. Researchers have found both male and female veterans
to be overrepresented in the homeless population, and as the number of veterans increases due to
these conflicts, there is concern that the number of homeless veterans could rise commensurately.
The 2007-2009 recession and the subsequent slow economic recovery also raised concerns that
homelessness could increase among all groups, including veterans..."
Veterans and Homelessness

Youth Homelessness

Find recent statistics on the homeless youth population from the U.S. Interagency Council  on Homelessness.
Youth Homelessness

The Emergency and Transitional Shelter Population:2010

"Studying the population in emergency and transitional shelters for people experiencing homelessness provides information about one segment of the group quarters population in the United States. This special report focuses on the 209,000 people enumerated in the 2010 Census at emergency and transitional shelters and their demographic characteristics and geographic distribution. Although this population accounted for
only 2.6 percent of the nearly 8 million people in group quarters, examining this group provides information on the portion of the population experiencing homelessness that is valuable to federal, state, and local agencies for a variety of reasons such as program planning and implementation..."
The Emergency and Transitional Shelter Population: 2010 
(2010 Census Special Report)