The Face of Homelessness
The Facts on Indiana homelessness:
- Families are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population in Indiana today.
- 40 percent of the 15,000 people who become homeless in Indianapolis each year live in families with children.
- While the public often perceives homelessness as a problem that involves single men, children and youth make up about 30 percent of the local homeless population.
- The average age of a homeless person in the United States is 9 years old.
- One in five homeless adults is a veteran.
- Four out of ten homeless adults on any given night have children with them.
- Many homeless people work, but most have extremely low incomes earning less than 30% of Marion County median family income.
- In about 62,000 Indianapolis households, adult heads of households spent half or more of their incomes on rent or mortgage payments.
- Among respondents who were homeless, three out of four had been homeless more than once.
*Facts about homelessness in Indianapolis/Marion County (from the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention Homeless Count Findings and Day Services Report, Sept. 1999)
