Did You Know?
National Facts on Homelessness
- Across the United States, about 660,000 people are homeless on any given night.
- Every year 600,000 families with 1.35 million children experience homelessness in the United States.
- These families make up about 50 percent of the homeless population over the course of the year.
- About Forty percent of children in families experiencing homelessness are age five and under.
- It is estimated that between 1 and 1.5 million teenagers experience an episode of homelessness each year.
Washington, DC Region
- As of January 27, 2010, 11,774 people throughout the metropolitan Washington region indicated that they were homeless.
- In Washington, DC 39% of all homeless are people in families.
- 21% of homeless single adults are employed and 40% of homeless adults in families are employed.
The primary cause of homelessness is lack of affordable housing!
- Over 11,774 people in the D.C metropolitan area are homeless; that includes 6,779 single individuals and 4,995 people in families.
- In the region, over 30 percent of homeless are severely mentally ill, have chronic substance abuse problems, or both, and over 25 percent have a physical disability or chronic health problems.
- In DC, 6,539 people are without homes including 800 homeless families comprising 988 adults and 1535 children.**
**All of the above information (under both sections) provided by The 2010 Count of Homeless Persons in Metropolitan Washington report prepared by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government's Homeless Services Planning and Coordinating Committee, May 2010 and provided by the National Alliance to End Homelessness and the Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness, Washington, D.C.
