Poverty (impacted by declining work opportunities, decreased public assistance, financial crisis, mounting debt)
Lack of affordable housing (impacted by increasing rents, decreasing SRO housing and excessive waiting lists for public housing, eviction, etc.)
Lack of affordable health care -Mental illness and disability
Substance abuse issues -Prison release and reentry into society
Natural disaster
Foster care background
Family crisis (e.g.: death, relationship breakdown, etc.)
A national study on homelessness found that most cities estimate that the number of homeless individuals greatly exceeds the number of emergency shelter and transitional housing available.
The percentage of homeless individuals living in shelters has decreased since 2005 (from 30& to 27%), while that of people living on the street has increased (21% to 34%).
The national average for an individual to remain homeless is 8 months; the current Houston average is a little over 3 years.
In 2007, over 10,000 women were released from the Texas criminal justice system. More than 2,000 returned to Harris County without housing, income, and family support. More than 30% will return to prison within three years.
Most incarcerated individuals are released without savings or immediate benefits.
Most incarcerated people are released without their necessary medications or a plan to continue treatment outside the criminal justice system. Untreated substance abuse and mental illness puts them at high risk for homelessness once discharged. Alcohol and drugs may serve as an inappropriate form of self-medication, which puts them at very high risk of repeating the behaviors that led to their previous incarceration.
A criminal record presents significant barriers to housing and employment as many, if not most, will not hire or rent to this population.
The formerly incarcerated are usually socially isolated from friends and family and have few resources.
