First Estimate of Homeless Population in a America in More Than a Decade Released

Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington were the states with the highest ratio of homeless people per capita.

A once homeless child in Salem. Photo: Lela Taylor.

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - There were 744,313 people homeless in January 2005 according to Homelessness Counts, the first national assessment of the number of homeless people in over a decade.

The report was released Friday by the Homelessness Research Institute of the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

This estimate, a compilation of point-in-time counts collected by local Continuums of Care, provides data on every state and community in the country.

The data included in the study represent a point in time; therefore the estimate only presents a snapshot of the homelessness problem in the Unites States.

Many more people experience homelessness over the course of the year. Despite its limitations, this estimate establishes a baseline for the nation to assess not only whether the number of homeless people is actually increasing or decreasing -- something we have had had little objective data on to date―but also for communities to analyze their progress, uncover trends, and to formulate solutions that address the needs of homeless people.

“A national movement to end homelessness is underway. Establishing a baseline estimate of how many homeless people there are in the nation is important to measuring progress,” said Nan Roman, President of the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

“This report shows that despite some progress far too many people remain homeless in the United States. The solution to homelessness is housing. Increasing the availability of affordable housing to very low income people will prevent homelessness and will empty our nation’s shelters,” Roman said.

Homelessness Counts highlights a number of staggering facts:

Fifty-six percent of homeless people counted were living in shelters and transitional housing and, shockingly, 44 percent were unsheltered.

Fifty-nine percent of homeless people counted were single adults and 41 percent were people living in families.

In total, 98,452 homeless families were counted.

Twenty-three percent of homeless people were reported as chronically homeless, meaning they were disabled and had been homeless for long periods of time or repeatedly.

Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington were the states with the highest ratio of homeless people per capita.

Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA), Chair of the House Financial Services Committee, joined the National Alliance to End Homelessness in releasing the report.

Homelessness Counts compiles and analyzes data from local communities nationwide. Continuums of Care (CoCs)—the HUD devised jurisdictions that oversee homeless services -- are required to count their homeless populations every other year in January.

Data for every state and community, as well as an explanation of the methods used to collect the data, are included in the full report