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It is estimated that there are, in any given night, there are from 750,000-1.3 million Americans homeless. Over the course of the year, there are as many as 2.5 million people who experience homelessness for some period of time. These are the people who live on the street, in shelters, and in campgrounds. Millions more live in precarious situations - over crowded with family or friends, housed temporarily in institutions like prisons or mental institutions. or paying too much of their income for rent. Together, all of these individuals make up the pool from which people cycle in and out of homelessness.

Homelessness affects a wide variety of people. Young and old, healthy and sick, men and women, employed and unemployed: all are represented in the homeless population.

The fastest growing group of homeless people consists of families with children. Today, families make up 36% of the people who become homeless. The typical homeless family consists of a young married mother with two or three small children. Many of these young mothers are fleeing domestic violence, and most lack the work skills, access to child care, or access to jobs necessary to support their families. 

An estimated 25% to 40% need programs to help recover from drug and alcohol abuse. Others need support to replace the network of family and friends that many of us take for granted. As many as 30% require treatment for mental illness. There are those who need child care to give them the time to train and apply for a job. Still others need legal assistance to help them escape some sort of domestic violence.

Eighty-eight percent of the survey cities report an increase in requests for emergency shelters during the last year. Three cities – Philadelphia, Phoenix, and St. Paul – report that the number of requests for emergency shelter remained the same during the last year.

Across the survey cities, the average increase was 19 percent. The percentage of increase requests range from 64 percent in St. Louis, 30 percent in Norfolk, 25 percent in Kansas City, 18 percent in Washington, D.C., 10 percent in Los Angeles, and three percent in Boston.

Requests for emergency shelter by homeless families with children increased in 88 percent of the survey cities during the last year. Burlington and Philadelphia said that the number of requests by homeless families remained the same during the last year. St. Paul said that the number of requests declined during the year.

Across the survey cities, the average increase in request for emergency shelter by homeless families with children was 20 percent. The percentage of increased requests ranged from 61 percent in St. Louis, 58 percent in Salt Lake City, 35 percent in Portland, 20 percent in Kansas City,16 percent in Los Angeles, 10 percent in Charlotte and Cleveland, and 5 percent in Trenton.

People remained homeless for an average of 6 months in the survey cities. The average length of time people remained homeless is 10 months in Boston, Charlotte and Trenton, 9 months in Charleston and Denver, 7 months in Chicago and Kansas City, 5 months in Portland, 2 months in Salt Lake City, and one month in St. Paul.

Eighty-two percent of the cities report that the length of time people are homeless increased. It remained the same in Louisville, Philadelphia, San Antonio, and Washington, D.C.

Across the survey cities it is estimated that single men comprise 41 percent of the homeless population, families with children 41 percent, single women 13 percent and unaccompanied youth five percent. Seventy-three percent of the homeless families in the survey cities are headed by a single parent.

Survey city officials estimated that 50 percent of the population is African-American, 35 percent is white, 12 percent is Hispanic, two percent is Native American and one percent is Asian.

It is estimated that persons considered mentally ill account for 23 percent of the homeless population in the survey cities; substance abusers account for 32 percent. Twenty-two percent of the homeless in the survey cities are employed in full-or part-time jobs. Ten percent are veterans.

Across the survey cities, the overall number of emergency shelter beds for homeless people is estimated to have increased by 13 percent. The number of emergency beds increased in 30 percent of the survey cities.

Shelter beds for homeless families increased in 29 percent of the survey cities. They remained the same in 63 percent, and declined in eight percent.

The number of transitional housing units increased overall by an average of 13 percent across the survey cities during the last year. Forty-two percent of the cities registered an increase in transitional housing units: Burlington, Charlotte, Cleveland, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, Seattle, St. Paul and Trenton.

The number of transitional housing units specifically for homeless families increased by an average of 11 percent during the last year. Thirty-eight percent of the survey cities registered and increase in the number of transitional housing units specifically for homeless families during the last year: Burlington, Chicago, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, St. Paul and Trenton.

In 40 percent of the cities, homeless families may have to break up in order to be accommodated in emergency shelters.

Officials in 32 percent of the survey cities report that homeless families may have to leave shelters in which they are staying during the day. The rest of the survey cities homeless families do not have to leave shelters in which they are staying during the day.