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It is my hope that this Website will be a significant contribution to the resources available to help end long-term homelessness.
Over the last few years, Providers locally and around the country, along with many community-based organizations, cities,
states, and the federal government have committed to and invested in ending long-term homelessness. Closer to Home, The city
of Jackson seems to be takling about helping with this endangered population, but they have not asked(THE HOMELESS)how and
what is needed. Many City employees are friends of mine, but they are not nor have they ever been Homeless... I have!
People who are homeless for the long term tend to be estranged from mainstream supports. At the same time, they can and do
access services and can and do achieve some housing retention.
Key barriers to housing included an admission process that is often too complex, daunting, and stigmatizing, as well as having
too many entry requirements.
While low-demand housing seems to work for many, there is no single best form of housing for this population.
Closer to Home shows that the recent emphasis on serving those who have been and are homeless for the long term does not require
a new or different type of supportive housing. Rather, small changes in program structure can greatly help many homeless
people in our City who have not been well-served by past efforts.
Explore, learn, and question. Whether you're ready to take action or still pondering, the examples included here are intended
to help , service providers, and property managers and other intrested persons strengthen their capacity to serve individuals
and families who have been homeless for the long term.
Some Facts...
Demographic characteristics of all U.S. adults
appear in the first column of table 2.1 as a point of comparison to the homeless clients
who participated in the NSHAPC survey. The second column describes these homeless clients. The third and fourth columns break
out NSHAPC homeless clients into those who are with their own children (homeless families), and those who are not (single
homeless clients).
Sex
As in other studies, men dominate among homeless
clients, comprising 68 percent of this group compared to 48 percent of all U.S. clients in 1996 (figure 2.1).5 However, these statistics mask considerable
differences in the sex of homeless clients in homeless families and single homeless clients. Among homeless clients in families,
84 percent are women and 16 percent are men (figure 2.2). Among single homeless clients, the sex ratio is
reversed; only 23 percent are women and 77 percent are men (table 2.1).
Race/Ethnicity
Homeless clients are about equally divided between
non-Hispanic whites and blacks (41 and 40 percent, respectively), with 11 percent Hispanics, 8 percent Native Americans, and
1 percent "other" (figure 2.3). Compared with all U.S. adults in 1996, homeless
clients are disproportionately black non-Hispanics (11 versus 40 percent) and Native American (1 versus 8 percent).6 The racial/ ethnic makeup of homeless clients
does not differ by family status.
Age
The overall statistics on the ages of homeless
clients mask very great differences between homeless clients in families and single homeless clients. Clients in families
are much younger, as shown in their higher probability of being ages 24 and younger (26 versus 10 percent) and lower probability
of being ages 55 and older (less than 0.5 percent versus 9 percent) (figure 2.4). This age distribution is quite different
from that of all U.S. adults, in which only 14 percent are under 25 years of age and 28 percent are ages 55 and older.7
Figure 2.4
Marital Status
Forty-eight percent of homeless clients have never
married. Among the 52 percent who have been married at one time or another, most have seen those marriages dissolve through
divorce (24 percent) or separation (15 percent) without subsequently entering into another marriage. These patterns are repeated
among single homeless clients, and modified somewhat among homeless clients in families (figure 2.5). The latter group is more likely to report being
married (23 versus 7 percent) and less likely to report being divorced (13 versus 26 percent). In addition, they are less
likely never to have married (41 versus 50 percent), but the proportion who have never married is still high compared to all
U.S. adults at 23 percent.8
Figure 2.5
Education
Thirty-eight percent of homeless clients have
dropped out of high school, while for 34 percent, a high school diploma is their highest level of completed education. Fewer,
but still more than one-quarter, have some education beyond high school. These figures differ considerably between clients
in families and single homeless clients (figure 2.6). Clients in families are more likely to have ended
their education before completing high school (53 versus 37 percent), and less likely to have exactly a high school diploma
or G.E.D. (21 versus 36 percent). However, the two groups are equally likely to have received some education beyond high school.
Homeless clients are less educated than the adult U.S. population: only 25 percent of American adults (those ages 25 and older)
have less than a high school education, 34 percent have a high school diploma, and 45 percent have some education beyond high
school.9
Veteran Status
Twenty-three percent of homeless clients are veterans.
Examined separately by sex, 1 percent of homeless women are veterans compared to 33 percent of homeless men. For men, this
proportion is not different from the 31 percent of the general client male population whom the Department of Veterans Affairs
estimates were veterans in 1996, but somewhat lower than the 40 percent of veterans among homeless men found in a systematic
synthesis of data from other studies of homeless populations (Rosenheck et al. 2005).
YES - These Figures reflect the proportions
of Homeless in Jackson and Mississippi Too! Our own estimates are based on actually living on the streets and first hand information.....
Jesse J. Chatmon Ph.D. MCSE (A Former Homeless Individual - Jackson, MS.)
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