Frequently asked questions

FAQ — homelessness, citations, and using this site

Common questions from students, journalists, volunteers, and people new to the topic. Each answer links to the article or source where you can dig deeper.

How many people are experiencing homelessness in the US right now?

About 653,100 on a single night per the most recent HUD AHAR (January 2023). The same year's annual prevalence is several times higher because people cycle through the system. The PIT count is the most-cited figure but it undercounts couch- surfing, doubled-up, hidden, and rural homelessness. See full stats.

How many people are experiencing homelessness in Canada?

Annual prevalence in Canada is estimated at ~235,000 per the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness's State of Homelessness reports. Single-night counts are much lower but uneven across provinces because Canada doesn't conduct a coordinated national PIT the way HUD does in the US.

What's the difference between a Point-in-Time count and annual prevalence?

A Point-in-Time (PIT) count is a single-night census of sheltered and unsheltered homeless people, conducted by every US CoC in January. Annual prevalence is the total number of people who experienced homelessness at any point during a full year. Annual prevalence is typically 2-4x the PIT figure. Mixing these up is the single most common error in news coverage and student papers. Glossary entry.

Why is homelessness rising in 2023-2024?

Multiple factors. The largest are: (1) rent inflation outstripping wages — by 2023, rents had risen ~25% from 2019 levels while incomes lagged; (2) the end of pandemic-era emergency rental assistance and the eviction moratorium; (3) the structural housing- supply shortage at the low end of the market (NLIHC estimates the US is short ~7M units affordable to extremely low-income renters). Substance use and mental illness are contributing factors for some people but are not the macroscopic drivers. See: causes.

How do I cite this site in an academic paper?

Every article has a "How to cite this page" box at the bottom with APA, MLA, and Chicago formats — click to copy. For statistics, please cite the underlying primary source (HUD AHAR, NLIHC, At Home/Chez Soi, etc.) rather than us — those are listed at each figure on the stats page. Citing primary sources is academic best practice. Citing us is appropriate for our analysis or framing, but rarely for raw numbers.

Can I use the shelter dataset for a school or research project?

Yes. The dataset is released under CC-BY-4.0. Download CSV or JSON from /data. Suggested attribution: "HomelessHelp.net shelter dataset, CC-BY-4.0, retrieved from homelesshelp.net/data."

Why is the homeless population in [my state / city] so different from neighbors?

Three main factors typically explain interstate variation: (1) housing-cost gap (the biggest by far), (2) climate (warm-weather cities have higher unsheltered counts), and (3) state/local policy (right-to-shelter states like NY and MA have higher sheltered counts because they're legally required to provide shelter). See our by-state overview for ranked numbers and program notes.

Is most homelessness chronic? Are these the people I see on the street?

No. About 10% of homelessness is chronic — people who have been homeless a year or longer, or have had four episodes in three years and have a disabling condition. The other ~90% is transitional (one short episode, returns to housing) or episodic (cycling). The chronically homeless are the population most visible to the public — but they're a minority of total cases. See: types of homelessness.

Is mental illness the main cause of homelessness?

No. About 20-25% of homeless adults have a serious mental illness — higher than the general population but a minority overall. Many cases of mental illness in the homeless population are made worse by homelessness, not the cause of it. The structural drivers are housing costs and wages. See: mental illness and homelessness.

What's Housing First and does it actually work?

Housing First is the model of providing permanent housing immediately, without preconditions like sobriety or treatment compliance, then offering supportive services voluntarily. Multiple RCTs (Tsemberis 2004, At Home/Chez Soi 2014) and meta-analyses find 12-month housing retention of 80-90% in Housing First versus 30-50% in treatment- first programs. See: what actually works.

Why did US veteran homelessness fall so much?

The VA scaled up the HUD-VASH program (HUD housing voucher + VA case management) on a Housing First model starting around 2009. Veteran homelessness fell from ~75,000 to ~33,000 by 2022 — the largest sustained reduction in any homeless subpopulation in modern US history. The same approach works for the general population, but has not been funded at comparable scale.

Do encampment sweeps reduce homelessness?

The aggregate evidence says no. Sweeps displace people but don't house them; multi-city studies find no measurable reduction in city homelessness rates, and 2023 research showed associations with increased mortality. They are politically popular and empirically ineffective. The cities that have actually reduced visible homelessness (Houston, Helsinki) did so via Housing First placements, not enforcement. See: encampments and sweeps.

Does HomelessHelp accept donations?

No. We don't accept donations, process payments, or take a cut of donations made to other charities. Every charity link on the site goes directly to that organization's own page. More about who we are.

Is the information here current?

It's best-effort, not real-time. Shelter information goes out of date constantly — hours change, organizations move. We update listings when readers flag issues. Always call ahead using the phone number on each listing before traveling to a shelter. For live bed availability, call 211.

I'm a teacher / professor — can I use these articles in my class?

Yes, free to use with attribution. Articles are CC-BY-4.0. The dataset is also CC-BY-4.0 for student data projects. See the "For educators" section on the research hub for suggested classroom uses.

How can I get involved beyond reading?

Three best paths: (1) volunteer near you — type your city to find shelters that take volunteers; (2) donate effectively to evidence-based organizations; (3) advocate at the local level for housing supply and Housing First funding. See our DIY local research guide.

I found incorrect information — how do I report it?

Open the resource page and click "Report it" in the bottom callout, or go directly to /submit. We process reports within about a week.