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The Faces of Homelessness Today

The Homelessness Today infographic depicts the faces of homelessness that are so prevalent throughout the US.


Homelessness Today Infographic

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The Faces of Homelessness Today

There are three categories of people in the U.S. at risk of becoming homeless: those over 50, veterans, and LGBTQ youth. Let’s take a look a closer look at these groups and the hardships they face.


Homelessness at a Glance

564,708 – Number of homeless people in the U.S.

15% – Percentage of the homeless population considered “chronically homeless”

206,286 – Members of homeless families in the U.S. California’s homeless percentage, 20%, is the highest in the country.


High-Risk Populations

Age 50+

Homeless people aged 50+ face complications due to geriatric syndromes that include:

  • Falls
  • Cognitive impairment
  • Sensory impairment
  • Urinary incontinence
  • Physical frailty
  • Major depression
  • Diseases like diabetes and arthritis

Percentage of homeless age 50 and older

  • 1990s: 11%
  • 2003: 37%
  • Today: 50%
  • 3.9% – Unemployment rate for Americans 55+

Veterans

War-related disabilities or disorders often contribute to veteran homelessness, including:

  • Physical disability
  • PTSD
  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Depression and anxiety
  • Addiction

8% – Percentage of homeless people who are veterans

35.8% – Percentage of homeless veterans who remain unsheltered. Washington D.C. has the highest rate of veteran homelessness, at 145.8 homeless vets per 10,000.

45% – Percentage of homeless veterans who are black or Hispanic

1.4 million – Number of veterans at risk of homelessness due to poverty, overcrowding in government housing and lack of support networks

50% – Percentage of homeless veterans with serious mental illness


LGBTQ youth

110,000 – Number of homeless LGBTQ youth in the U.S.

20% – Percentage of runaway and homeless youth who identify as LGBTQ

40% – Percentage of LGBTQ youth who say they live in a community that is not accepting of LGBTQ people. LGBTQ youth are twice as likely to be physically bullied at school.

Top reasons for LGBTQ youth homelessness

  • Family rejection : 46%
  • Forced out by parents: 43%
  • Abuse at home: 32%
  • Aged out of foster care: 17%
  • Neglect from family: 14%

58.7% – Percentage of homeless LGBTQ youth who have been sexually victimized, compared to 33.4% of heterosexual homeless youth.

62% – LGBTQ homeless youth suicide rate, compared to 29% among heterosexual homeless youth.


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Pages for Infographics:

  • Child Abuse in the USA
  • How Poverty Burdens the Brain
  • Left in a Right World
  • Poverty in America: Then and Now
  • Romanticizing Poverty
  • Smoke Without Fire
  • Social Work Leaders: The Crisis in Social Work
  • Suicide Notes
  • The Faces of Homelessness Today
  • The Social Impact Of Mixing Business & Medicine
  • The State of Children’s Health
  • The War Within: Sexual Abuse in the Military
  • Who Needs Social Workers?

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