How many people are homeless each year?

Answer 1

The answer to this question depends on which study you read. One in 2008 estimated that 1.5 million or more were homeless and in 19 of 25 cities they looked at 12% were homeless since 2007. The National Law Center found 2.3 to 3.5 million homeless in 2008 and the Department of Housing and Urban Development followed the homeless trend in just one night in January 07. They found 671,888 people homeless. Of these 58% had a place in a shelter while 48% were on the streets. The problem with trying to count homeless people is they move around, do not have a address, and go in or out of shelters. All of the numbers above are estimates and the numbers are most likely greater than reported. They also vary state by state. Some states like CA have higher rates. This is a very hard population to track. It is also estimated that 25 million children are homeless and attend schools off and on. The fact that this number of children exists in a homeless situation means that as they age they may find problems due to the lack of education and are from poor single parent families that are unable to help them. So, they may tend to continue to be homeless as well.