Who Do We Serve?

Homelessness in the USA

There are an estimated 3.5 million people experiencing homelessness in the United States of America. The leading cause of homelessness is poverty. This is closely connected with lack of employment or underemployment and lack of affordable housing. For the most current information on Homelessness in the United States, please visit the National Coalition for the Homeless’ website at www.nationalhomeless.org.

Homelessness in Cincinnati – all information provided by the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) 2009 Annual Report produced by the Partnership Center. To view the complete report, please visit www.partnershipcenter.net.

• In 2009,  Cincinnati documented that 7,325 unduplicated people experienced homelessness.

• Of these, 5,067 identified as Black/African American and 1,941 identified as White.

• 42% suffered from addiction, 43% had a mental illness and 27% were dually diagnosed with a combination of the two.

• 30% of the 7325 homeless adults in families were victims of domestic violence.

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Families

• In 2009, Cincinnati documented that 661 families with children were served in emergency shelters.

• Of the 7,325 people who experienced homelessness, 2,161 were children. 778 of these children were unaccompanied youth. This means the majority of homeless children experienced homelessness with their families.

↑ Return to Top Homelessness and numbers served at Interfaith Hospitality Network

Our outcomes over the past four years are summarized below. The last 5 years have shown an increase in families served, reaching an all-time high of 130 families served in 2010.

* Of the families who stayed with IHNGC for longer than 7 days (98 families or 80%), 89% achieved transitional or permanent housing upon exiting IHN (87 families). 123 total families exited IHNGC in 2010. 87 exited for housing. 71% of all families (even those who only stayed for 1 day) exited for stable housing.

** The sharp decrease in length of stay is attributed to the addition of the Rapid Re-Housing program and the HPRP program which allowed us to move approximately 34 families into housing in less than two weeks. This also accounts for the increase in numbers served, but decrease in total shelter nights from 2009.

↑ Return to Top Homelessness FAQ

Why are families homeless? 

The major reason families are homeless is lack of affordable housing. The second biggest reason is lack of sufficient income. Other factors, such as mental illness and emotional health problems, domestic violence, and substance abuse also contribute to family homelessness. However, homelessness often increase the problems.

Dr. Ellen L. Bassuk, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and co-author of a federally supported study of homeless families, has found that homelessness tends to ratchet up the already grim effects of poverty. According to her research, children in homeless families are sick twice as often as poor children who have never been homeless. Nearly 70 percent of homeless children, she found, suffer from chronic illnesses like asthma and anemia, and almost half of school-age homeless children have emotional problems like anxiety and depression. They also experience four times the rate of development delays and double the learning disabilities and are twice as likely to be suspended from school or repeat a grade than other poor children.↑ Return to Top