Customized Training
Homeless
This page provides information about a population that is potentially vulnerable and/or hard-to-reach before, during, and after a disaster event. Preparedness requires understanding the demographics and characteristics of groups who are vulnerable in order to best meet the needs of all persons.
Federal Definition of Homeless
The United States Code contains the official federal definition of homeless (Title 42, Chapter 119, Subchapter I). In general, the term "homeless" or "homeless individual or homeless person" refers to:
- An individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence; and
- An individual who has a primary nighttime residence that is -
- A supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations (including welfare hotels, congregate shelters, and transitional housing for the mentally ill);
- An institution that provides a temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized; or
- A public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.
- A supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations (including welfare hotels, congregate shelters, and transitional housing for the mentally ill);
In the state of Florida, the definition of homeless is broader than the federal definition of homelessness and includes anyone who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, or whose primary residence is:
- Sharing the house of another person due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason;
- Living in a motel, hotel, travel trailer park, or campground due to lack of alternative, adequate accommodations;
- Living in an emergency or transitional shelter;
- A nighttime residence that is a public or private space not intended for or ordinarily used for human beings;
- Living in a car, park, public space, abandoned building, bus, or train station, or similar setting; or
- A migratory individual who qualifies as homeless because he or she is living in circumstances as described above.
Demographics
According to the 2010 Annual Report of Homeless Conditions in Florida (prepared by the Department of Children and Families in Florida), approximately 57,643 Floridians are homeless on any given night in 2010. Of these individuals, 51% have been homeless for more than one year, 21% have been homeless less than 3 months, and 76% reported having lived in Florida for more than one year prior to becoming homeless.
General Information
Characteristics of Individuals who are Homeless:
- 79% are adults, aged 18-60
- 16% are children under the age of 18
- 5% are elderly (over 60 years of age)
- 66% are men
- 85% are single
- 16% are Veterans
- 11% are Hispanic or Latino
- 36% are African American
- 57% are White
- Almost 9% reported being a former foster child
- Over 36% reported a disabling condition , of whom:
- 40% have a physical disability;
- 27% have a drug or alcohol condition; and
- 26% suffer from mental illness.
Various Reasons for Homelessness:
- Unemployment
- Poverty (53% reported poverty as the primary cause of their episode of homelessness)
- Long term illness/disability
- Mental illness
- Substance abuse
- Housing issues
- Family problems (e.g., divorce, abuse)
- Forced to relocate from home
- Escape from domestic violence/child abuse
- Institutional release
- Recent immigration
- Natural or other disasters
- Service/system defects, including:
- Lack of affordable housing
- Lack of space in treatment facilities (for persons suffering from mental illness or substance abuse)
- Lack of availability of preventative services that could help people remain in their homes