Homeless Fact Sheet

• In a given year, 4.1 million people will be homeless for any period of time.
• Nationally, at least 944,000 people are homeless on any given day
• In Indiana, 21,200 people are homeless in any given night.

• Homelessness can affect all people:
     76% are single men
     24% are families with children
     24% are single women
     21% are veterans
     5% are unaccompanied children

• Two of the fastest growing segments of the homeless population are intact families and single women with children
• Approximately 23% of the adult homeless population suffers from mental illness, 30% are substance abusers, 17% are employed, and 21% are veterans.
• 35% have never been homeless before

Why people are homeless?
• Job loss
• Foreclosures
• Poverty
• Eroding work opportunities
• Decline in public assistance
• Lack of affordable housing
• Lack of affordable health care
• Domestic violence
• Mental illness
• Addiction disorders

Cost of living:
• In every state, more than minimum wage is required to afford a 1 or 2 bedroom apartment.
• The National Low Income Housing Coalition says nationally a typical family needs wages or combined incomes of $17.84 per hour just to make ends meet.
• In Indiana, a typical family needs wages or combined incomes of $13.41 per hour to afford a two bedroom apartment
• Utilities make it worse. Costs have increased by 17% in the past year.
• Only 30% of poor people eligible for housing assistance actually receive it.

Needs:
• Requests for emergency shelter have increased by 25%.
• Requests for emergency food assistance increased by an average of 34%.
• 50% of people requesting emergency food assistance were families with children.
• 76% come daily to a mission for assistance

Websites:
Association of Gospel Rescue Missions www.agrm.org
National Coalition for the Homeless www.nationalhomeless.org
National Low Income Housing Coalition www.nlihc.org
National Low Income Housing Coalition: Out of Reach Report http://page-1250630504/