The Economic Consequences of Homelessness in The US

3Estimates 1National Estimates by CoC
Homelessness Families in the with United Children States
f All Homeless People in Families with Children
re of Sheltered People in Families with Children
of Unsheltered People in Families with Children
EXHIBIT 3.9: Homeless People in Families
with Children
By CoC Category and Sheltered Status, 2017
0 100
All Homeless People in
Families with Children
Sheltered People in
Families with Children
Unsheltered People in
Families with Children
0% 100%
50.5
53.6
17.1 50.2
Major Cities
Smaller City, County, and Regional CoCs
Balance of State and Statewide CoCs
34.0 15.5
32.5
13.9
32.7
On a Single Night in January 2017
• More than half of all people experiencing
homelessness in families with children were
in the 50 largest cities (92,414 people). Smaller
cities, counties and regional CoCs had 34
percent of the total, and the remaining 16
percent were in BoS and statewide CoCs.
• New York City accounted for one quarter all
family homelessness in the U.S., or 45,377
people experiencing homelessness in families
with children. While this is not surprising
given the size of New York City, some large
cities have relatively low numbers of people
in homeless families compared to the size of
the city. For example, Houston has the fourth
largest population in the country but is not
among the ten cities with the largest numbers
of people experiencing homelessness in
families with children.
• Six of the ten major cities with the largest
numbers of homeless people in families are not
among those with largest numbers of homeless
individuals. Chicago and Phoenix, the third
and fifth largest cities, were in the ten places
with the largest numbers of homeless families
though they did not appear among the largest
total homeless populations.
• In major cities, almost all homeless people
in families with children were sheltered, 97
Data source: PIT 2007–2017; Excludes Puerto Rico and U.S. territories
Balance of State and Statewide CoCs
Smaller Cities, Counties, and Regional CoCs
Major Cities
percent. By comparison, only 87 percent of
people in homeless families were sheltered in
smaller cities, counties, and regional CoCs and
82 percent in BoS and statewide CoCs.
• Smaller cities, counties, and regional CoCs
include eight CoCs where over 80 percent
of homeless people in families with children
were unsheltered. The highest unsheltered
rate was found in Pasco County on the west
coast of Florida, where 96 percent of homeless
people with families were living in unsheltered
locations.
• BoS or Statewide CoCs accounted for 16
percent of all people in families with children
experiencing homelessness (or 28,408 people)
and for 33 percent of all unsheltered people in
families (5,145 people).
• The communities with the highest rates of
unsheltered homelessness among families
in major cities and smaller cities, counties,
and regional CoCs were, for the most part, in
warmer climates like California and Florida.
However, the highest rates of unsheltered
family homelessness for BoS or statewide
CoCs were found in colder climates, with the
exception of Oklahoma Balance of State.
Continuums of Care (CoC) Were
Divided into Three Geographic
Categories
Major city CoCs (n=48) cover the 50 largest
cities in the United States. In two cases
(Phoenix and Mesa, AZ, and Arlington and
Fort Worth, TX), two large cities were located
in the same CoC.
Smaller city, county, and regional CoCs
(n=306) are jurisdictions that are neither one
of the 50 largest cities in the United States nor
Balance of State and Statewide CoCs.
Balance of State (BoS) and statewide CoCs
(n=40) are typically composed of multiple
rural counties or represent an entire state.
40