​​​​Commission on Homelessness and Housing  FOR Volusia & Flagler Counties ​

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  • 7% of the general homeless population and up to 40% of  homeless youth identify as LGBT+(2). This is compared to 3.2% of the general population(3).


  • 63% of homeless women have experienced domestic abuse in their lifetime(4).


  • On average, 43% of runaway and homeless youth report being physically abused, 17% report being sexually exploited, and 38% reported being emotionally abused(5).


  • On average, roughly 25% of homeless are steadily employed and 44% have worked for pay in the last 30 days(6).

Other Facts About the Homeless

Two pie charts showing homeless by age demographics and gender demographics. Age demographics contains three groups under 18 17%, 18-24 4% and 24 and older 79%. Gender demographics contains two groups Male 64% and Female 36%
Pie graph showing percentages by household type. Types are Sheltered in Families 18%, Unsheltered in families 12%, Sheltered Individuals 23%, Unsheltered Individuals 47%

Other characteristics:

     8% of our homeless had a substance abuse disorder, 6% had a serious mental illness, and 5% were victims of domestic violence. 

     246 (18.5%) of people qualified as chronically homeless. There were 21 chronically homeless families.

How many homeless in our area are veterans?

     We documented 110 total veterans, making up about 8.5% of our homeless population.

How many homeless in our area are veterans?

     218 (~16%) people were staying in an emergency shelter, 332 (25%) were living in transitional housing, and 777 (~58%) were considered “unsheltered”. When asked, “where did you stay last night?” the most reported response (44%) was “a place not meant for habitation”. 

 

Where are people staying after becoming homeless?

     The most reported cause of homelessness was “employment/financial reasons”, which was cited twice as often as the next most reported cause: “family problems”. “Housing issues” and “medical reasons” were the third and fourth most reported causes of homelessness, respectively.

 

What was the most common cause of homelessness?

2015 Point-in-Time Count

 About Homelessness

(1) Data collected as part if the McKinney-Vento Homelessness Act. This data is public domain and can be found here: http://www.fldoe.org/schools/family-community/activities-programs/homeless-edu-program.stml

(2) Community-wide prevention of LBGTQ Youth Homeless. (2015, March 1). Retrieved June 11, 2015, from
https://www.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/LGBTQ-Youth-Homelessness-Prevention-Initiative-Overview.pdf

(3) Gates, G. (2011, April 1). How many people are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender? Retrieved June 11, 2015, from
http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/Gates-How-Many-People-LGBT-Apr-2011.pdf

(4) Browne, A. & Bassuk, S., “Intimate Violence in the Lives of Homelessand Poor Housed Women: Prevalence and Patterns in Ethnically Diverse Sample,” American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 67(2), 261-278, April 1997

(5) Slavin, P. (2001). Runaways: Life on the Run, Life on the Streets. Children's Voice, 10(4), 8-13, to 14. Retrieved June 11, 2015, from JustInfo. 


(6) Burt, M., Aron, L., Douglas, T., Valente, J., Lee, E., & Iwen, B. (1999, September 1). Homelessness: Programs and the People They Serve: Findings of the National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients. Retrieved June 12, 2015, from http://www.huduser.org/portal/publications/homeless/homeless_tech.html

 

 

References

Terminology

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  • Chronically Homeless are homeless individuals with disabilities (or families whose head of household has a disability) who have either been continuously homeless for a year or more or have experienced at least four episodes of homelessness in the last three years.


  • Individuals are people who are not part of a family during their episode of homelessness. They are homeless as single adults, unaccompanied youth, or in multiple-adult or multiple-child households.


  • People in Families are people who are homeless as part of households that have at least one adult and one child.


  • Sheltered Homeless are individuals who are staying in emergency shelters, transitional housing programs, or safe havens.


  • Unsheltered Homeless are people who stay in places not meant for human habitation, such as the streets, abandoned buildings, vehicles, or parks.


  • Transitional Housing is a project that is designed to provide housing and appropriate supportive services to homeless persons to facilitate movement to independent living within 24 months, or a longer period approved by HUD.


  • Emergency Shelter is any facility with overnight sleeping accommodations, the primary purpose of which is to provide temporary shelter for the homeless in general or for specific populations of the homeless.