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homelessness

Homeless

The term “homeless” means a person sleeping in a place not meant for human habitation (e.g., living on the streets, or residing in an emergency shelter, or transitional housing. (HUD definition)

 

Chronic Homeless

A "chronically homeless" person is defined as "an unaccompanied homeless individual with a disabling condition who has either been continuously homeless for a year or more, or has had at least four episodes of homelessness in the past three years. (HUD definition)

 

Why is homelessness an important issue in Guilford County?

Nationally, approximately 1,000,000 persons are homeless on any given night, and as many as 2.5 million to 3 million people experience homelessness over the course of a year. In Guilford County, over 1,200 persons were homeless, sleeping in a place not meant for human habitation (on the streets or in temporary shelters).

• Over 200 of those persons were chronically homeless, an unaccompanied individual with a disabling condition (e.g., substance abuse, mental health, or developmental disability) who has been continuously homeless for one year or more or who has had four or more episodes of homeless in the past three years.

• Most people who become homeless in our community are assisted by a “Continuum of Care” which move them from emergency shelter through transitional housing to permanent housing. For individuals that homelessness has become a chronically condition the system isn’t working.

• 10 to 15 percent of people experiencing homeless, are considered chronically homeless and use 50 percent or more of all emergency shelter resources in their communities.

What are the causes of homelessness?

Some people experience homelessness because of:

• They or someone in their family suffer from chronic mental illness or substance abuse or have a physical disability or chronic illness such as HIV/AIDS. These individuals and families often experience long-term, chronic homelessness and are best served by supportive housing.

• High housing costs consume too much, more than 30%, of their individual or family income.

• An unexpected event triggers a downward spiral – the loss of a job, injury or illness, the loss of a spouse. For someone with very low income, even a car breakdown, which would be just an inconvenience for some of us, could lead to the loss of a job and put a person at risk of homelessness.

• They have a low income or they are unemployed, working at a low-wage job, or underemployed.

Get Involved...

Partners Ending Homelessness · 902 Bonner Drive · Jamestown, NC 27282 · info@partnersendinghomelessness.org

Special thanks to Carolinanet for their gifts of Web development, Web hosting, and technical assistance and to Vanderveen Photographers for their gifts of photography and technical assistance to make this Web presence possible for all the citizens of Guilford County.