OVERVIEW
Hundreds of thousands of people are experiencing homelessness in the United States due in part to rising housing costs and the lack of affordable housing. Cities and states often spend millions trying to address this complicated issue but many cite limited progress. Our country needs new ways of housing people, new ways of supporting people who are unhoused, and/or new ways of supporting those who are formerly unhoused but continue to experience hardship (e.g., lack of transportation, difficulties given missing credit scores, rent history, etc.).
Basic Facts | Data On Homelessness | Who Experiences Homelessness | Current Approaches and Programs | Public Policy
Basic Facts and Overview
Data on Homeless Populations and Evictions
Use the resources below to understand how the United States estimates the number of people experiencing homelessness in a given year, where there are the most evictions, and how much it costs to house someone experiencing homelessness.
Who Experiences Homelessness?
Learn more about the people and groups who experience homelessness and the specific challenges that they face in finding housing.
Current Approaches and Programs
“Housing first” programs are those that prioritize housing for people experiencing homelessness, guided by the belief that people need basic necessities like food and a place to live before attending to anything less critical, such as getting a job, budgeting properly, or attending to substance use issues. This approach is one aspect of how existing programs — such as vouchers and supportive housing programs — are deployed.
Public Policy Approaches
Existing laws and regulations can both help and hurt people experiencing homelessness. While governments often have dedicated funding to support those without housing, approaches can vary greatly by city and state. To make progress on this issue, regulations must evolve and governments must identify and scale creative solutions that enable better, faster, and more effective housing outcomes.
Ivory Prize Winners and Finalists Addressing Issues of Homelessness
Ivory Prize 2021 Policy & Regulatory Reform Winner - Impact Justice: the homecoming project
Thousands of Americans are not only priced out of affordable housing but are often intentionally left out of many housing options. The Homecoming Project is a program that ensures successful reentry back into communities by providing safe and stable housing and a welcoming host. Formerly incarcerated people are able to integrate more easily into the community by quick placement into stable housing right out of prison.
Ivory Prize 2022 Policy & Regulatory Reform finalist - Homestart
HomeStart identifies and delivers solutions to homelessness. After recognizing that nonpayment eviction was one of the largest drivers of homelessness, HomeStart developed The Renew Collaborative, a market-driven eviction prevention program that saves property owners from the expense of eviction and eliminates episodes of homelessness by way of nonpayment eviction for the working poor and households with subsidies.
Ivory Prize 2022 Policy & Regulatory Reform finalist - community solutions: Built for Zero
Community Solutions is a non profit that leads Built for Zero, a movement of more than 90 communities working to measurably end homelessness and proving it is possible. Community Solutions is also employing new nonprofit-owned models of development and financing to help communities close the housing gap.
Ivory Prize 2022 Policy & Regulatory Reform finalist - LA Room & Board
Los Angeles Room & Board’s mission is to end college student hunger and homelessness by partnering with university housing programs and campus adjacent property owners to reimagine the use of their vacant spaces in order to provide low & no cost transitional housing designed to equip students with the tools they need to become more self-sufficient and to ensure they complete their college degree program.
Ivory Prize 2021 Policy & Regulatory Reform finalist - community first! village
Community First! Village is changing the model by which cities address chronic homelessness by shifting from a housing first approach into a community first approach.