National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day

"Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day raises awareness of the risks associated with homelessness and living unsheltered.

Homeless Persons’ Memorial Dayexternal icon (HPMD – December 21) was created in remembrance of those who died while homeless and without shelter. Events are held in communities on or near HPMD to bring attention to the plight of people experiencing homelessness and the life-threatening risks people can experience when living unsheltered, especially during cold and extreme weather conditions.

According to the last Annual Homeless Assessment Report pdf icon[14.2 MB]external icon to Congress, an estimate of the number of sheltered and unsheltered persons in the United States at a Point-In-Time (PIT), 552,830 people experienced homelessness on a single night in 2018, which translates to a rate of 17 people experiencing homelessness per 10,000 people each day. Among those homeless, most were men or boys (61%), who were more likely to be unsheltered than women and girls. Twenty percent were children, most of whom were sheltered..."
Homeless Persons

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)

Reducing Homeless Populations’ Involvement in the Criminal Justice System

"The Department of Justice has released a new guide, “Reducing Homeless Populations’ Involvement in the Criminal Justice System.”  The guide is intended to generate greater awareness in the field among law enforcement, courts, prosecutors, defenders, state and local legislators, advocates, social service providers, and the homeless about  Department of Justice resources available to serve homeless people, and those at risk of homelessness, who are involved in the criminal justice system..."
View complete guide