Warning
To protect your privacy, you will be logged out within 5 minutes due to inactivity.
If you would like to stay logged in, simply click "Okay".
 
   
Skip Navigation
Login or register
The Changing Face of Homelessness: Findings from the 2009 U.S. Conference of Mayors Report on Hunger and Homelessness
Author(s):
Winn, Laura
No Recommendations Yet Click here to recommend.
Add Comment
Subscribe
Share This
Print
No Recommendations Yet Click here to recommend.
Description: A new report from the U.S. Conference of Mayors reveals that while more chronically homeless individuals are finding permanent housing, family homelessness is on the rise. This article examines these and other findings of the 2009 “Hunger and Homelessness Survey: A Status Report on Hunger and Homelessness in America's Cities.” HRC’s Laura Winn shares an overview of the report.
Content:

According to a new report from the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the landscape of homelessness is being redrawn in cities across the nation. While Ten Year Plans have helped more individuals exit homelessness, family homelessness is growing. This shift is changing the face of homelessness and prompting city leaders to reevaluate how homeless services are provided.

“Hunger and Homelessness Survey: A Status Report on Hunger and Homelessness in America's Cities” surveyed the status of hunger and homelessness in 27 cities across the United States. The report was released in early December 2009.

Despite the recession, the report found that 64% of cities had fewer or the same number of individuals living in homeless shelters over the past year. Most cities attribute declines to Ten-Year Plans for ending chronic homelessness among single adults.

However, 76% of cities reported an increase in the number of homeless families over the past year. The recession and a lack of affordable housing are cited as likely causes. These findings represent a continuation of national trends reported in HUD’s most recent Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress.

The survey of city officials revealed: 
  • 96% of city officials requested more mainstream assisted housing (e.g., Housing Choice Vouchers);
  • 78% cited a need for improved employment opportunities; and
  • 74% identified the need for more permanent supportive housing for people with disabilities.
 
In addition, 72% of cities reported that funds from the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program will “fundamentally change the way [their] community provides services to people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.” Cities are using HPRP funds to develop central intake systems for homeless services, coordinate services more closely with surrounding areas, or offer homeless prevention assistance for the first time.
 
The report is based on data collected from the U.S. Conference of Mayors Hunger and Homelessness questionnaire. Twenty-seven cities completed the survey, reporting on city residents who received food and shelter services between October 2008 and September 2009.

Additionally, the report contains individual profiles of each city, including the median household income, the unemployment rate, the foreclosure rate, the percentage of people who fall below the poverty line, and contact information for service providers. Read more about the report: "Hunger and Homelessness Survey: A Status Report on Hunger and Homelessness in America's Cities.

Check out the "Related Items" to the right of the screen.
File(s)
Type of Resource: HRC Resource
Organization: SAMHSA
Publication Date: 2010
Location: Rockville, MD
Phone: 617-467-6014
Diane Nilan Hear-us from Naperville
January 14, 2010
10:20 AM
 
This annual report, an understated glimpse of homelessness in this country, is often referred to as the "bible" for unenlightened journalists and policy wonks, yet it fails to accurately portray the reality of homelessness across America, especially as it affects non-urban areas.

Spend time with parents and teens without homes, mired in deep poverty. Listen to what they say. Far different than this annual account. www.hearus.us

Who to believe? Report writers using inconsistent data from a handful of large cities, with a few token small burgs, or millions of adults, families and teens waiting for homelessness to become a priority in this still wealthy nation?

I long for an honest report followed by wholehearted action.


   
 
Suggest Edit
Please let us know how we can make this resource better.
Your Email Address
 
   
RSS Feed
Acknowledgements  |  Help  |  Accessibility  |  SAMHSA Privacy Policy  |  Plain Language  |  Disclaimer  |  SAMHSA Web Site
About Us  -  Contact Us
Home  -  Training  -  Homelessness Resource Center Library  -  Facts  -  Topics  -  Partners  -  Events  -  PATH  -  SSH
Advanced Search
Acknowledgements -  Help -  Accessibility -  SAMHSA Privacy Policy -  Plain Language -  Disclaimer -  SAMHSA Web Site
Download PDF Reader
A program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services