Perhaps the most accurate and current data on homelessness in the United States is reported annually by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in the Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress (AHAR). The AHAR report relies on data from two sources: single-night, point-in-time counts of both sheltered and unsheltered homeless populations reported on the Continuum of Care applications to HUD; and counts of the sheltered homeless population over a full year provided by a sample of communities based on data in their local Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS).
Contents
- Sample results from the 2010 AHAR
- Total Number
- Ethnicity
- Race
- Age
- Household Size
- Veteran Status
- Disability Status adults only
- Living Situation Prior to Program Entry
- Stability of Previous Nights Living Arrangement
- ZIP Code of Last Permanent Address
- Homeless Individuals
- Homeless Persons in Families
- Chronically Homeless
- Other Sheltered Subpopulations
- References
Sample results from the 2010 AHAR
The sixth report to Congress, the 2010 AHAR, released in July 2011, reports the following household and demographic information for people that had accessed emergency shelters and transitional housing between October 2009 and September 2010, based on a sampling of HMIS data:
Total Number
About 1.59 million people were homeless in emergency shelters or transitional housing at some point during the year between October 1, 2009 and September 30, 2010. The nation’s sheltered homeless population over a year’s time included approximately 1,092,600 individuals (68 percent) and 516,700 persons in families (32 percent). A family is a household that includes an adult 18 years of age or older and at least one child. All other sheltered homeless people are considered individuals.
Ethnicity
Race
Age
Household Size
Veteran Status
Disability Status (adults only)
Living Situation Prior to Program Entry
Already Homeless:
From 'Housing', newly homeless:
From Institutional Settings:
Total Other:
Stability of Previous Night’s Living Arrangement
ZIP Code of Last Permanent Address
The 2008 AHAR also reports the following counts and household information of sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons nationwide on a single night in January 2008, based on the Point-In-Time data collected as part of the 2008 Continuum of Care Application:
Total Number
On a single night in January 2008, there were 664,414 sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons nationwide. Nearly 6 in 10 people who were homeless at a single point-in-time were in emergency shelters or transitional housing programs, while 42 percent were unsheltered on the “street” or in other places not meant for human habitation.