Facts About Homelessness Details

Families
According to the 2011 Homeless Count Report, families make up about 28% of the local homeless population. This includes 248 children under the age of 18 who are living in emergency shelters or temporary housing programs.  In addition to the 248 homeless children living in emergency shelters or temporary housing programs, Marion County schools report that they are serving another 2,925 children who do not have a home of their own.  These children are "doubled up" with friends or extended family, living with an adult in hotels or motels, or are unattached.  More than half (63%) of these children who are homeless or who otherwise do not have a home of their own are under the age of 12.

Despite assistance through mainstream public aid programs, many of the city's most vulnerable families lack affordable housing, thereby undermining the effectiveness of the services. Families must be connected with affordable housing and support programs.  Effective intervention will prevent a whole new generation of children from becoming homeless adults.

Veterans
Twenty percent (20%) of our homeless neighbors in Indianapolis are veterans, and it is estimated that there are many more who do not self report their status as veterans.  Homeless veterans served our country in World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Lebanon, the Gulf War, the military's anti-drug cultivation efforts in South America, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. These homeless veterans have many obstacles to face. Many have mental health and, with considerable overlap, substance abuse problems.  Many also suffer from post traumatic stress disorder. Combined with a lack of family and social support networks, in addition to the complex set of factors affecting all homelessness, veterans become at high risk for homelessness.

Domestic Violence Victims
Domestic violence is one of the leading causes of homelessness and poverty among women. Nearly 400 adults experiencing homelessness in our community are women fleeing from domestic violence.

Youth "Aging Out" of Foster Care
Youth aging out of foster care are especially vulnerable to fall into homelessness.  No longer the responsibility of the state, many of these young people are left on their own and lack the education, skills and supports to make a successful transition to healthy and self-sufficient adulthood. These teens end up sleeping in cars or “couch surfing” for days, weeks, and months on end. Effective intervention now will help these youth take the steps necessary to achieve self-sufficiency and ward off a future of homelessness.  Twenty-one percent (21%) of 18-24 year olds experiencing homelessness on any given night in Indianapolis were part of the foster care system at some point in their youth.

Employment
There is a severe shortage of housing available for our lowest wage earners. The terrible fact is that many hard-working American families cannot afford a safe, decent place to call home, despite being employed full time. The current minimum wage is $7.25 per hour.  But the 2009 adjusted Self-Sufficiency Standard for a family of three (one adult with one preschooler and one school-aged child) in Indianapolis is $19.94 an hour.  A single parent employed in a minimum wage job in Indianapolis would have to work the equivalent of two full-time jobs – over 100 hours a week—to be able to afford a decent, safe, two-bedroom apartment at a fair market rent for herself and two children.  

Over the past ten years there has been a substantial shift in the types of employment available in Indianapolis, with service sector jobs replacing manufacturing jobs.  On average, service jobs in the Indianapolis area pay less than half the annual salary of manufacturing jobs and retail jobs pay an average of one-third of those paid by manufacturing. 

According to the 2011 Homeless Count Report, lost job or inability to find employment was the number one reason for homelessness (457 responses).  Only 15% of homeless adults were employed, down from 25% in 2009 and 19% in 2010.  According to “The Status of Working Families in Indiana, 2009”, unemployment rose from 3.7% in 2007 to nearly 10% at the end of 2009. The unemployment rate only measures those who are actively seeking a job and cannot find one; it does not count “discouraged” workers who no longer even look for work.

In addition to low wage employment and unemployment, underemployment is also an issue.  According to the 2008 Community Assessment report by United Way of Central Indiana, more workers who want full-time employment are settling for part-time work that is unlikely to meet the needs of their families. Over 8% of Hoosier workers in 2006 were underemployed, meaning they experienced sporadic employment or worked part-time but would prefer full-time work. This is 3% higher than the 2000 rate.

Quite simply, many people will remain at risk of becoming homeless – or will struggle to move out of homelessness – unless many more housing units are made affordable to residents with the lowest incomes.

Health
Many people who experience homelessness suffer from chronic health issues related to the conditions in which they live.  According to the 2011 Homeless Count Report, 19%, or 257 adults, suffered from chronic illness including high blood pressure, asthma, diabetes, or heart disease.  One hundred ninety seven people reported a physical disability, and 247 reported a developmental disability.  These health issues are often untreated because these same individuals are not insured.  According to the 2011 Homeless Count Report, more than half of the  individuals experiencing homelessness in Indianapolis on any given night do not have any type of health insurance. 

Mental Illness
The cause and effect relationship between mental illness and homelessness is a growing problem on local and national levels. Local surveys demonstrate that approximately 14% of the 4,500 – 7,500 people who experience homelessness each year in our community self report that they also suffer from a serious mental illness. This means that between 630 and 1,050 of the people experiencing homelessness in Indianapolis probably have a mental illness. The majority of these individuals also suffer from a drug or alcohol addiction.

There are several factors that put those with mental illness at high risk for becoming homeless:

  • Most people with mental illness are unable to maintain employment or function effectively with daily tasks such as paying bills and maintaining supportive social relationships.
  • Although many receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, these modest payments do not cover the costs for even a modest efficiency or one-bedroom apartment in any major housing market in the country (Ohara, A., Miller E. 2000), including Indianapolis.
  • Fewer than 50% of local homeless adults with serious mental illnesses report they receive treatment (Blueprint to End Homelessness, 2002). The causes of this are usually due to a lack of documentation, a lack of transportation, and a difficulty adhering to treatment regimes, all of which are confounding effects of poverty and homelessness.
  • Most individuals return to the same high-risk environment after incarceration or hospital discharges.

As a result, homeless individuals with mental illnesses most often fall into the “chronically homeless” category.  This group of people experiences homelessness on a protracted basis, sometimes as long as seven to eight months during a two-year period.  On the night of the 2011 count, there were 168 individuals who were characterized as chronically homeless.

People with mental illness or addiction often are not appropriate for care in congregate homeless shelters. Many have behavioral problems or medical needs that hinder their ability to live in large group settings. It is important to stabilize these individuals with appropriate housing and treatment services, both for their own well-being and to avoid costly and inappropriate use of taxpayer-funded emergency or law enforcement services.

Substance Abuse
According to the 2011 Homeless Count Report, 535 adults counted on the streets or in emergency or temporary housing, or 41%, suffered from a chronic addiction.

Services and emergency shelter and rehabilitation programs for substance abusers need to be enhanced to better serve the many chronically homeless individuals who do not make use of the existing shelter system. Intoxicated persons currently are incarcerated at the Marion County Lockup, with no provision for treatment. Creating a shelter for these people would increase their access to treatment and also free up much-needed space in the jail system. Such a facility, known as an Engagement Center, also would provide temporary refuge for people without homes whose drunken state makes them inappropriate to be housed in emergency shelters.  establishing such a facility in Indianapolis would save an estimated 3.7 to 11.1 million dollars annually in our public health and public safety budgets.

A majority of homeless individuals who abuse alcohol were diagnosed with an alcohol use disorder in the year before they became homeless. People experiencing homelessness who live on the street, compared to those living in shelters or other housing, are more likely to report frequent use of alcohol or drugs and are at higher risk for illness and fatalities. They are also less likely to report treatment for substance abuse.

Prisoner Reintegration
According to the 2011 Homeless Count Report, 28% of adults, or 368 people, experiencing homelessness and living in emergency shelters or on the streets in Indianapolis acknowledged having a prior felony conviction.

Besides having criminal histories – often a barrier to finding a job or housing – many people released from incarceration face additional challenges, including serious mental health problems and addiction issues.  Eighty percent (80%) of ex-offenders have a substance abuse issue. 

Additional programs are needed to help people with criminal backgrounds successfully reintegrate into society, both for their own good and to help avoid the high public cost of providing emergency services when they become homeless – or of housing them again in prisons and jails when they commit new offenses.

Lack of Affordable Housing
According to the 2011 Homeless Count Report, eviction and foreclosure remained significant responses to the question, “Why are you homeless?”  Eviction represented 193 responses, and foreclosure was the cause of homelessness for 39 individuals.

Individuals and famlies who have lost their own home and are "doubled up", or living with others such as friends or extended family, are among the individuals who are increasingly falling into homelessness and needing the support of the emergency shelter and temporary housing programs.  On the night of the 2011 count, 245 of the 1,567 individuals experiencing homelessness were homeless after being asked to leave the home of a friend or extended family member.

Whether they are young or old, living in family units or on their own, nearly all people experiencing homelessness share a common bond: a need for housing they can afford. According to the City of Indianapolis’s 2008 Action Plan, one of the most prevalent impediments to affordable housing in Indianapolis is decreased availability of affordable housing units.  The Action Plan also cites high costs associated with the development of affordable housing and poor credit history as other factors.

There is a serious shortfall of housing that the poorest Indianapolis residents can afford.  When the Blueprint to End Homelessness was launched in 2002, Indianapolis had an estimated 13,000 vacant rental units, many not currently affordable to those citizens with the lowest income. This ongoing shortfall directly contributes to their homelessness. The federal government states that housing is affordable if it costs no more than 30% of a household's income. Those citizens with the lowest income often spend more than half of their meager earnings on housing. These people are most at risk of becoming homeless and often fall in and out of homelessness. About 22,000 low-income households in the Indianapolis area have “worst case” housing needs, primarily because they spend too much for housing. Eventually, many of them encounter financial crisis – and some of them become homeless.

In Indianapolis, the citizens with the lowest income are the only income group that faces a shortage of affordable housing. As part of the implementation of the Blueprint, a resource has been made available to those seeking information about available, affordable rental housing: www.IndianaHousingNow.org. Launched in April 2005, this database is a comprehensive housing listing and search service that is free to both property owners and those seeking housing information.