This article is taken from http://www.nvo.com/ecnewletter/homelessinamerican/. There's a significant amount of good information on the face of homelessness in America:
Homeless in America
I am an invisible man/woman...of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids, and I might be said to possess a mind. I am an invisible simply because people refuse to see me...When they approach me they see only my surroundings, or fragments of their imagination, indeed, everything and anything except me.
The Invisible Man. Ralf Ellison
There is a homeless problem in the United States, as well as in the world and it will not go away. In fact, it is getting much worse every year. One of the reasons this is not a popular topic to talk about is that we live in the "greatest country in the world", and we have tens of thousands of men, women, and children wandering our streets with no place to call home. This is a national tragedy. This web page is created for those who are homeless.
This is not a Republican or a Democratic problem. This is not someone else's problem. This is America's problem, and we must find a way to solve it.
There is no stereotypical homeless person. The homeless are men and women; they are children of all ages - of every race and ethnicity. They are mothers and fathers; they are sons and daughters. The homeless are citizens of this country and members of the community. This diversity proves to be a challenge as each person poses new and unique barriers to sustained economic independence.
DEMOGRAPHICS
Approximately 40% of homeless men are veterans, although veterans comprise only 34% of the general adult male population. The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans estimates that on any given night, 271,000 veterans are homeless (National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, 1994).
Despite the overrepresentation of veterans in the homeless population, homelessness among veterans is not clearly related to combat military experience. Rather, studies show that homeless veterans appear less likely to have served in combat than housed veterans (Rosenheck, 1996).
Homeless veterans are more likely to be white, better educated, and previously or currently married than homeless nonveterans (Rosenheck, 1996).
46% have chronic health problems
57% suffer from mental health problems
60% suffer from drug/alcohol addiction
47% suffer from a dual diagnosis
55% have no health insurance
40% are families
According to Homes For The Homeless, families account for 38% of America's homeless.
22% report having been physically abused by a household member before the age of 18
According to the Ford Foundation, nearly fifty percent of all homeless women and children are fleeing domestic violence.
60% are homeless for the first time
Homeless Statistics & Studies
http://www.agrm.org/stats.html
Association of Gospel Rescue Missions
1.7 Billion People will have been homeless in the United States in 2010.
An estimated 500,000 - 600,000 homeless people are found in homeless shlelters every night.
The projected rate of homelessness is a 5% increase per year.
About 12 million of adult residents in the U.S. have been homeless at least once in their lifetimes.
45% of the urban homeless population are single men. 14% single women.
Racial Distribution of Homelessness.
45% African-American. 32% Caucasian. 4% Hipspanic. 3% Asian.
Homeless children are the fastest growing segments of the homeless population.