Homeless in 2008
Homeless in 2008
What is homelessness?
Homelessness is a difficult and complex issue. So much so, that there is even disagreement over the definition of who is truly homeless and who is not. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) defines someone as “homeless” if he or she: resides in an emergency shelter or in transitional/• supportive housing for homeless persons; or resides in a place not meant for human habitation, such as cars, parks, sidewalks, abandoned buildings, encampments, and dilapidated buildings The U.S. Department of Education uses an expanded definition that also includes people who are:
• doubled up with family or friends due to economic condition
• living in motels and hotels for lack of other suitable housing
• migrant workers living in housing not fit for habitation
The State of Georgia, in the Act that created the State Housing Trust Fund for the Homeless in 1988, defined homelessness as “persons and families who have no access to or can reasonably be expected not to have access to either traditional or permanent housing which can be considered safe, sanitary, decent, and affordable.”1 Because of the important variations in the definition of homelessness, this report primarily uses the more narrow HUD definition, except when otherwise noted.
What is chronic homelessness?
About 25% of the homeless population experience long spells of homelessness or have had numerous homeless episodes.2 These chronically homeless individuals use a disproportionate share of public services and are vulnerable to continued homelessness. HUD considers someone chronically homeless if he or she is unaccompanied, has a disabling condition and has been homeless continuously for a year or has had at least four episodes of homelessness in the past three years.3
What is the impact of homelessness?
Homelessness has a profound impact on the individuals and families it affects including increased health problems, increased mental health problems, difficulty with maintaining employment, separation of families, and so on. Although we can sympathize with people who are in difficult straits, it is fair to ask why homelessness matters to the community at large. Homelessness affects more than just an individual or family. It affects the whole community in a number of ways. The costs of homelessness include
: • poor educational attainment and development among homeless children
• uninsured medical costs for a population with a high rate of disability
• public safety costs including police and jail costs for offenses such as panhandling, loitering, or vagrancy
• sanitation and litter control in parks and public spaces where homeless people congregate
• high cost of emergency shelters, transitional housing, and supportive services for individuals and families experiencing homelessness
• high cost of crisis services such as emergency room and ambulance services and inpatient hospitalization for acute and chronic health conditions as well as mental health crises
• lost wages and revenue from individuals that would otherwise be able to work if they had a permanent address
Myth: Homeless people are a fixed problem that can not be solved
A February 2006 article in the New Yorker relates the story of Murray Barr, a ronicallyhomeless man living in Reno, Nevada. Police Officers Patrick O’Bryan and Steve Johns had numerous interactions with Murray over many years. They began tallying costs such as arrests, incarcerations, ambulance service, and hospitalizations over a ten-year period.Officer O’Bryan said, “It cost us one million dollars not to do something about Murray.”Malcolm Gladwell, “Million Dollar Murray,” The New Yorker, Feb. 13, 2006 quoted 92% of homeless women have experienced severe physical and/ or sexual assault at some point in their lives. Violence Against Women Act, March 1, 2007 population who are usually homeless for long periods of time.
Fact: Research indicates that 40% of
homeless people have been
homeless less than six months,
and 70% have been homeless
less than two years.
University of Denver, Project Homeless Connect
www.du.edu/homelessness
Million-Dollar Murray
2007 Tri-J Homeless Census — Point-In-Time
Individuals Family Members Totals %
Unsheltered 2,071 44 2,115 31%
Emergency Shelters 2,027 359 2,386 35%
Transitional Housing 1,524 815 2,339 34%
Totals and % 5,622 (82%) 1,218 (18%) 6,840 100%
How many people are homeless in Georgia?
The difficulties of counting the homeless in any single community, much less a
large state, have been discussed in detail by both researchers and