POPULATIONS AT RISK OF HOMELESSNESS

Many poor people are at risk of homelessness. Ultimately, this is because it is hard for them to afford housing. Unemployment, housing cost burden, and living doubled up are indications of this struggle to afford housing. Longitudinal trends and changes from 2012 to 2013 indicate populations at risk of homelessness may not be experiencing the benefits of the economic recovery.

• The number of unemployed people fell 8.4 percent and the unemployment rate continued its multi-year decline, falling to 7.4 percent. Nearly all states saw decreases in the number of people unemployed, with only 6 states seeing modest increases in the number of unemployed people. 
• Despite improvements in employment, the number of people in poverty (4.8 million) and the poverty rate (15.8 percent) remained relatively steady. 26 states saw an increase in the number of people in poverty; 25 saw a decrease. 
• The number of people in poor households living doubled up with family and friends grew to 7.7 million people, an increase of 3.7 percent from 2012 to 2013, with 39 states seeing increases. Since 2007, the number of people living doubled up has increased 67 percent. 
• The number of poor renter households experiencing severe housing cost burden, those households in poverty paying more than 50 percent of their income toward housing, total 6.4 million in 2013, decreasing by 2.8 percent nationally from 2013 with 37 states seeing a decrease. Since 2007, the number of poor households with severe housing cost burden has increased 25 percent. 

HOMELESS ASSISTANCE SYSTEM

Communities across the country respond to homelessness with a variety of programs: emergency shelters, transitional housing, rapid re-housing, and permanent supportive housing. The HEARTH Act, passed in 2009, placed a greater emphasis on permanent supportive housing and rapid re-housing as permanent housing solutions to homelessness. The shift away from transitional housing as a response to homelessness began to be seen in 2013 and continued in 2014. 

• Rapid re-housing capacity grew dramatically—nearly doubling from 19,847 beds in 2013 to 37,783 beds in 2014, a 90 percent increase. 40 states increased rapid re-housing inventory. 
• The number of permanent supportive housing beds continued to grow from 2013 to 2014 by 15,984 beds (5.6 percent) to a total of 300,282 beds. 35 states saw increases and 15 states saw decreases. 
• Nationwide, emergency shelter utilization remained at the same highs seen between 2007 and 2013, with 102 percent of emergency shelter beds full at the time of the point-in-time count. Transitionalhousing utilization was lower, at 84 percent.

 Source: 

http://endhomelessness.org/library/entry/the-state-of-homelessness-in-america-2015