Homeless Hub

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Read these stories to learn about the problem

Read these stories to explore solutions

SHARE ON SOCIAL

Seniors on the Street Are at High Risk of Violence. But There’s a Solution.

Op-Ed: Why California Should Not Adopt New York’s ‘Right to Shelter’

Why Native Americans in Seattle Disproportionately Live on the Streets

Universities Begin Combating the Next Crisis: Homelessness on Campus

Can Villages of Tiny Homes Help America’s Veterans Who Are Homeless?

She Reveals Solutions for the ‘Hidden Homeless’

'Someone Opened Them for Me. Why Wouldn’t I Open My Doors for Someone Else?'

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

A deep dive into the many facets, and faces, of homelessness in America

Read these stories to LEARN ABOUT the problem

Why Native Americans in Seattle Disproportionately Live on the Streets

The proportion of King County’s recorded homeless population that is Native American rose by two-thirds in just two years — because Native people were counted differently.

Read these stories to EXPLORE SOLUTIONS

Ways to get involved in your community:

If you or someone you know is experiencing housing insecurity, these resources can help:

Browse more related OZY coverage:

Editorial direction by Carly Stern Design by Eva Rodriguez Art direction by Sean Culligan Edited by Nancy King

MARCH 12, 2020

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE

“How do you find people who are hidden? They’re hidden for a reason.”

“Homelessness is a state, not a trait.”

How to Solve Homelessness With Artificial Intelligence Why Americans Are Retiring Into Homelessness

Read about homelessness

The Latest Quick Fix for the Housing Crisis? Granny Flats Struggling to Make Rent? For Middle-Class Millennials, Help Is on the Way America’s Only Affordable Major City Has Lost Its Crown Where Saving for a House Can Take 95 Years

Read about housing affordability

CG Chen created a chatbot that offers 24-hour and GPS-driven intel about food, shelter and drop-in services in Toronto.

She Reveals Solutions for the ‘Hidden Homeless’

Aly Fuentes moved into a Host Home, a national program model that offers short-term living arrangements for young people at risk of homelessness.

'Someone Opened Them for Me. Why Wouldn’t I Open My Doors for Someone Else?'

Mounting student debt and a nationwide housing crunch have led roughly 1 in 10 college students to experience homelessness, and universities are launching programs to fill the gaps.

Universities Begin Combating the Next Crisis: Homelessness on Campus

Veterans' “villages” meant as transitional housing for former soldiers are cropping up in cities across Oregon, Wisconsin, Texas and Arizona.

Can Villages of Tiny Homes Help America’s Veterans Who Are Homeless?

As many as 1 in 10 adults over age 50 experiencing homelessness report being physically or sexually assaulted in the last six months.

Seniors on the Street Are at High Risk of Violence. But There’s a Solution.

The city’s mandate is a cautionary tale of good intentions when the priority should be development of low-income housing, argues Deborah Padgett.

Op-Ed: Why California Should Not Adopt New York’s ‘Right to Shelter’

ore than a decade after the Great Recession, the U.S. is battling twin emergencies: a housing affordability crisis and unprecedented homeless counts. Middle- and low-income Americans are the hardest hit, with extremely low-income renters — who live at or below the federal poverty level, with income of $25,750 for a family of four — facing a shortage of 7 million affordable rental homes, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. Meanwhile, the country is reckoning with a public health epidemic of staggering proportions as swelling numbers of Americans are forced to live on the streets.

at or below the federal poverty level, with income of $25,750 for a family of four — facing a shortage of 7 million affordable rental homes, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. Meanwhile, the country is reckoning with a public health epidemic of staggering proportions as swelling numbers of Americans are forced to live on the streets. People fall into homelessness for a variety of reasons — whether through illness, loss of employment, domestic violence, death of a family wage earner or immigration. “No Place Like Home,” an OZY original series, captures the human faces and stories behind America’s homelessness crisis, investigates its underlying causes and spotlights viable, innovative solutions.

Homelessness can strike anyone — and will be a defining issue of our time.

Communities that face a heightened risk of becoming homeless

Percentage of U.S. population

Percentage of U.S. population experiencing homelessness

African Americans

LGBTQ Youth

NATIVE AMERICAN/ Alaska native

VETERANS

Adults OVER 50

Latinx

40%

13%

10%

35%

22%

18%

13%

24%

People with disabilities

3x as likely to experience homelessness

LGBTQ youth face more than 2x the risk of homelessness compared to non-LGBTQ youth**

Latinx people drove half of the U.S. population growth between 2016 and 2017

*Percentages are estimates based on available data. **For LGBTQ youth, the bars represent fractions of youth homelessness and total U.S. youth population.

Sources: HUD, U.S. Census, The Williams Institute, The Trevor Project, UCSF, University of Chicago

- CG Chen, Ample Labs

HOUSED

HOUSING INSECURE

Unsheltered

Emergency Sheltered

episodically homeless

Chronically homeless

BECOMING HOUSED

Living securely in a place meant for human habitation.

Difficulty paying rent, forced to move often or live in crowded conditions to cover housing costs.

Living on the street or in a place not intended for human habitation (like a car).

Staying in overnight shelters, transitional housing programs or safe havens.

Currently homeless with at least three periods of homelessness in the past year.

Homeless now and for at least six months in the past year.

Continuous access to housing that’s affordable based on income.

Click the text below to explore the ways someone could move in and out of housing insecurity.

Can Villages of Tiny Homes Help America’s Veterans Who Are Homeless?

Unsheltered

Why Native Americans in Seattle Disproportionately Live on the Streets

Homeless now and for at least six months in the past year.

She Reveals Solutions for the ‘Hidden Homeless’

Currently homeless with at least three periods of homelessness in the past year.

Op-Ed: Why California Should Not Adopt New York’s ‘Right to Shelter’

Staying in overnight shelters, transitional housing programs or safe havens.

Seniors On the Street Are At High Risk of Violence. But There’s a Solution.

Living on the street or in a place not intended for human habitation (like a car).

Universities Begin Combating the Next Crisis: Homelessness on Campus

Difficulty paying rent, being forced to move often or living in crowded conditions to cover housing costs.

‘Someone Opened Them for Me. Why Wouldn’t I Open My Doors for Someone Else?’

Living securely in a place meant for human habitation.