The Economic Consequences of Homelessness in The US

IX. Traditional Solutions
Housing Affordability and Homelessness
National Alliance to End Homelessness
The nation is currently facing one of the most severe affordable housing crises in
history. Not surprisingly, those living in poverty are the most significantly affected.
In the 1970s,
communities had
plenty of affordable
housing. That meant
that when a family or
individual experienced
a crisis and lost
housing, they could
quickly find another
place to live. But by the
mid-1980s, a shrinking
supply of low-cost
housing resulted, and
the combination of
rising rents and slow,
stagnant wage growth
for lower-income
people has continued
and worsened.
at risk of housing instability and homelessness.
Today, 11
million extremely lowincome
households
pay at least half of their
income toward
housing, putting them
The Solution to Homelessness: Housing
The solution to homelessness is straightforward: housing. By connecting people
experiencing homelessness to housing and services, they have a platform from which
they can address other areas that may have contributed to their homelessness, such as
employment, health, and substance abuse.
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