HOMELESSNESS

STATISTICS

  • Around 4,500 people experience homelessness on a given night in VA.
  • An estimated 20,400 VA public school students experience homelessness over the course of a year.
  • 70% of homeless people are individuals; 60% of homeless people are male; Almost 40% of homeless people are unsheltered
  • By race, POC are significantly over-represented among people experiencing homelessness. 4/10 people experiencing homelessness are African American. 23% of people are Hispanic or Latino. Pacific Islander and Native American populations are more likely to be homeless than other races.
  • Almost 25% of homeless people are chronically homeless, meaning they are disabled and have experienced long-term or repeated episodes of homelessness.
  • Research indicates that the physical conditions of homeless people mirror those of people 15-20 years older than them.
  • Homelessness increased by 2.2% in 2020 during the COVID pandemic, or around 12,750 people per night. Both unsheltered and chronic homelessness increased significantly; by 7 and 15 percent).

ASSISTANCE

  • Temporary Housing beds (Emergency shelter, safe haven, and transitional housing) have decreased by 9% over the past 5 years.
  • Permanent Housing (Supportive Housing, Rapid Re-housing, and Other) has however increased by 20% over the last 5 years. This is the most common type of homeless assistance.

TERMINOLOGY

  • From AP Style to Journalists in 2019: Use homeless people, people without housing, or people without homes instead of homeless or the homeless.
  • Rapid Rehousing is the process of moving homeless families to permanent housing as soon as possible. This is made possible through housing assistance from local, state, and federal programs.
  • Adequate housing is housing not requiring any major repairs.
  • Affordable housing is any housing that costs less than 30% of a household’s pre-tax income.
  • Hidden homelessness refers to people who may live with others without the guarantee of permanent housing.
  • Housing First is an approach and federal program of moving homeless people into permanent housing first then adding additional supports and services as needed.
  • Opportunity Zones are areas that receive funding for investment. Their purpose is to spur economic growth and job creation in low-income communities while providing tax benefits to investors.
  • Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses. This process often displaces the current inhabitants of the neighborhood and increases housing costs.
  • Redlining is the systematic denial of various services or goods by governments or the private sector either directly or though the selective raising of prices. Redlining is a discriminatory practice that puts services out of reach for residents of certain areas based on race or ethnicity.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

LOCAL CONCERNS


WEBSITES

LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS

ForKids
ForKids is one of the largest providers of homeless services in VA and serves 14 cities in Southeast Virginia. Last year ForKids provided housing for 1440 individuals with 920 children. These families spend an average of 252 days in a shelter then move to a Rapid Rehousing Program to obtain permanent housing. Over 50% of these families have a child under 3. They not only help with emergency services but strive to build families up through life skills training, job coaching, mental health services, children’s education.

NEST
Norfolk Emergency Shelter Team
This is a coalition of local churches that provide meals and shelter to homeless individuals in the winter months.

HART
Norfolk Homeless Action and Response Team
This is a group of human services professionals who assist families experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness.

VIDEO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AMy3UR-77U – So you think you understand homelessness
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GizMdnZACaQ – Root causes of homelessness

 

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