Debunking Narrative About America's Homeless

Across America homelessness is spiraling out of control.  As many as 7.4 million Americans are without a home.  Most homeless people suffer from mental health issues that are not being addressed.  The situation worsens each year as homeless camps clutter many city streets.

For the record, every single statement in the opening paragraph is either inaccurate or misleading.  Yet this narrative has been so often repeated in the media and by politicians that many Americans have accepted it as fact.  The reason for the duplicity is to create the appearance of a national crisis.

A crisis triggers public demand for action, which often means more government programs, increased taxpayer funding, a larger bureaucracy to tackle the dilemma.  But facts matter if we want the solutions to solve the problem instead of throwing around money to make us feel better.

Experts agree data on homelessness is often less than exact.  The most credible source is the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which conducts an annual Point-In-Time Count.  The research is a one-day snapshot of homelessness across the country.

In the latest HUD survey in January 2019, some 568,000 people were counted as homeless.  Of those, about 63% were residing in emergency shelters, transitional housing or safe havens.  The remainder were living on the streets.  More than 37,085 homeless individuals were military veterans.

Homelessness increased 3% over 2018, driven by a 16.4% jump in California.  However, the number of homeless persons has fallen 12% since 2007.  No data exists on how many homeless are illegal immigrants. For perspective, the homeless represent 0.2% of the U.S. population.

The National Law Center on Homeless and Poverty (NLCHP)  has published its own homeless estimate of 7.4 million. Why the yawning discrepancy with HUD statistics?  To decipher the difference requires a deep dive into how the legal advocacy group arrived at that figure.

By its own admission NLCHP counts as homeless adult children living with parents, roommates who don't own or rent the domicile or those siblings who might share an apartment or home.  That renders their numbers dubious at best or grossly inaccurate at the least.

While there are homeless in every state, just five states make up 54% the total. You could probably guess which ones: California (151,278) , New York (92,091), Florida (28,328), Washington (21,577) and Oregon (15,876). Twenty-nines states had declines in homelessness in the 2019 HUD survey.

The figures verify that California and New York are experiencing a genuine crisis.  The two states account for 42% of homeless individuals.  It is not a coincidence that average home prices in the two states are the highest (Hawaii is No. 1)  in the nation.  There is a demonstrable correlation.

Research by the National Alliance to End Homelessness found that the lack of housing for low-income people is the top factor forcing people to live on the streets.  Four in ten homeless people cannot afford any housing, including apartments.

As Californians and New Yorkers know all to well, escalating prices make buying out of reach for many residents. The average home price in New York is $1.73 million.  In California, the average is $1.18 million.  The median home prices for the two states are $425,000 and $549,000, respectively.

Apartment rental rates in those two states are also in the top five.  The median monthly rental price for a one bedroom apartment in California is $1,453.  In New York, the equivalent apartment goes for $1,294, according to a February report from the National Apartment List Rent Report. 

In its research, the alliance discovered that 20% of the homeless have a serious mental illness.  Some 16% reportedly have conditions related to substance abuse.  A unreported number are fleeing domestic violence.  Incentivizing the homeless to remain on the streets will not solve these issues.

There is already a federal government program to assist low-income people afford apartments.  The Housing Choice Voucher Program, commonly known as Section 8, provides government vouchers for low-income households to pay for housing in the private market.

However, Congress has not seen fit to increase funding to meet demand.  Only one in four households that meet eligibility requirements receive vouchers because of the shortfall in funding.  In view of the facts, Congress should be motivated to find taxpayer dollars to help those who qualify.

The CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition Diane Yentel, commenting on the latest HUD statistics, reminded the nation that homelessness is solvable.  In her words:

"We have proven solutions to end homelessness, and in the wealthiest nation in the world, we have the resources to solve the problem.  We lack only the political will to fund the solutions at the scale necessary."

In California, New York and a smattering of other states, the government appears uninterested in solutions.  Instead, they have surrendered to the wishes of activists and allowed tent cities to be erected on the streets, now littered with used needles, human feces and urine, posing a health threat.

These misguided humanitarians are allowing the problem to fester.  Homelessness will never be solved by seemingly well intentioned actions that fail to address housing costs, mental health issues, drug addiction and domestic abuse.  Fostering tent cities is not the answer. That's why facts matter.