Key points
- Experiences of homelessness take many different forms.
- Around 40% of people experiencing homelessness stay in unsheltered locations such as in a car or outside; the rest primarily stay in emergency shelters and transitional housing.
- Barriers to health care and social services and staying in congregate shelters means that people experiencing homelessness have a higher risk for infectious and non-infectious diseases.
Overview
Rising housing costs and stagnant wages are leading more people to lose their housing and experience homelessness. Homelessness can be defined in several ways. Commonly, people are considered to be experiencing homelessness if they stay in a shelter, live in transitional housing, or sleep in a place not meant for human habitation, such as a car or outdoors.
Sometimes people are considered to be experiencing homelessness if they are living in a motel or are doubled up with family or friends because they do not have anywhere else to stay.
To learn more about homelessness, visit the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's website: FAQs: Homeless (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development)
People who experience homelessness
Each year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) conducts a Point-in-Time Count (PIT) to estimate the number of people experiencing homelessness in the United States. View Point-in-Time Count and Housing Inventory Count (HUD Exchange) for more information about the PIT count and previous years' data.
According to the data from these counts, most people experiencing homelessness stay in homeless shelters. Around 40% of people experiencing homelessness live in unsheltered locations (such as in a car or outside). Almost one third of people experience homelessness as a family. People who are Black or African American and those who are American Indian or Alaska Native have higher rates of homelessness.
Homelessness and health
People experiencing homelessness are at increased risk for infectious and non-infectious diseases. Homelessness is known to increase the risk for infectious diseases such as Viral Hepatitis (especially Hepatitis C), Tuberculosis (TB), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). People experiencing homelessness also commonly face mental illness, alcohol and substance use disorder, diabetes, and heart and lung disease.
Risks to health
Experiences of homelessness introduce many risk factors to health:
- Staying in congregate settings like homeless shelters increases risk for respiratory infections like TB and COVID-19.
- Stress, uncertainty, and threats to safety while experiencing homelessness increases risk for mental illnesses, such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Injection drug use and limited access to safe use supplies increases risk for Viral Hepatitis, HIV, and other bloodborne pathogens.
- Structural and social barriers to health care and other social services can lead to worse health outcomes, such as severe illness or death.