Basic Facts on Homelessness in Massachusetts and Across the Country

In Massachusetts:

• The number of people experiencing homelessness is continuing to rise.
• According to numbers from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Continuum of Care 2011 point-in-time count, there were 16,664 people counted as experiencing homelessness in Massachusetts on the day of the count. To see additional data from that report, click here. (See pages 14 and 15.)
• As of December 5, 2012, there were approximately 3,800 families with children and pregnant women in Massachusetts’ Emergency Assistance (EA) shelter program. 1,785 of these families with children were being sheltered in motels. This number does not count those families who are doubled up, living in unsafe conditions, or sleeping in their cars-- or the approximately 6,500 families who were able to be served by the state's HomeBASE program.
• Over the past twelve months, over 7,000 families were assisted with emergency shelter. Recent data on the EA and HomeBASE programs can be found here. Historical data on the EA program from fiscal years 2009 to the present can be found here.
• 2011 data from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE), released in August 2012, estimates that 13,157 high school-aged students in public schools are experiencing homelessness on any given day in Massachusetts. This number includes an estimated 5,853 unaccompanied high school students who are experiencing homelessness and not in the custody of their parent or legal guardian. To see more data from ESE, click here. 
• ESE estimates that there are over 44,000 students of all ages experiencing homelessness who are enrolled in Massachusetts public schools. In the 2011-2012 academic year, public schools across Massachusetts were able to identify and serve 15,085 students who were experiencing homelessness.
• The average age of a person experiencing homelessness in Massachusetts is 8 years old. 

• The number of individuals experiencing homelessness has more than doubled since 1990. 
• On any given night in Massachusetts, the approximately 3,000 night shelter beds for individuals are usually full.
• Sexual violence and homelessness often are interconnected. Click here for more information from our partners at the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center.

POVERTY contributes heavily to homelessness. The Great Recession has severely impacted very low-income households in Massachusetts:

• According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s September 2012 American Community Survey report, the overall poverty rate in Massachusetts increased to 11.6 percent in 2011 from 11.4 percent in 2010.
• This includes an estimated 738,514 people in Massachusetts living in households that fell below the poverty threshold ($23,021 for a family of four).
• To see data on the number of Massachusetts households receiving basic benefits through the Department of Transitional Assistance, click here. This report includes data on the following programs: Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC/"Welfare"), Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled, and Children (EAEDC), State Supplemental Security Income (State SSI supplement), and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP/"Food Stamps").
• To read more about the impact of housing instability on children, click here for an October 2012 policy brief by Children's HealthWatch, "Safe, Stable Homes Mean Healthier Children and Families for Massachusetts".

 

Across the United States:

Not surprisingly, poverty has a direct correlation to a family or individual losing their housing. For 2011, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that 46.2 million Americans — or 15.0 percent of the population — were living below the poverty line (based on an average poverty threshold of $23,021/year for a family of four). According to its latest data, the number of people living in poverty is comparable to the combined populations of Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Vermont. This is the highest number of people living in poverty in the United States since 1959, when the federal government began the measurement. Equally startling is that the majority of impoverished families and individuals live far below the poverty line.

In November 2012, the U.S. Census Bureau released an even higher estimate that 49.7 million Americans were living below the poverty line. This figure was based on the Supplemental Poverty Measure formula, which takes into account both living expenses and benefits received through government-funded programs.

According to the latest figures from HUD (November 2012), the average fair market rent for a two-bedroom apartment in the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy metro area is $1,444/month. With numbers like this, it is not difficult to see why so many families and individuals are becoming homeless.

Click here for the 2012 U.S. Conference of Mayors Hunger and Homelessness Survey (December 2012).