Research & Resources

Homelessness is the most thoroughly researched social problem of the past decade. Cumulatively, the studies that comprise this research have taught us much that we did not know before.

For example:

During the course of a year, 80% of those who have been homeless remain so for less than a year and become homeless for reasons related to extreme poverty, not personal problems or disability.

Nationally, at least 40% of people who are homeless are part of a family that is homeless together.

Parents in families that are homeless experience significantly higher rates of anxiety and depression when compared to parents of the same income level that are housed.

Children in families that are homeless suffer significantly higher rates of illness, including asthma symptoms, compared to children in low income families that are housed.

And most important:

Putting people directly into permanent housing with support services works to keep people housed, and costs less than serving them in emergency shelters or allowing them to sleep outdoors.

This counterintuitive conclusion is explained by the following finding:

When people are homeless they become frequent users of expensive municipal services, including emergency rooms, ambulances, hospital and jail stays.

Studies have consistently demonstrated that use of these services diminishes greatly after housing placement.

For those who are interested in the details a collection of research reports and articles about homelessness and strategies for ending it are located under research and we have included websites for organizations that can provide additional information under resources.