Housing Report Shows Chronic Homeless Rate Down 30 Percent

The number of chronically homeless people in the U.S. declined by 30 percent from 2005 to 2007, according to an annual report from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to Congress. Housing officials say the drop can be attributed in part to the new policy strategy undertaken by Congress and the Bush administration in the last several years, called "Housing First," which has enlisted local officials to place the homeless in permanent shelter and offer them treatment for drug addition and mental illness.

But there are some caveats to these figures. The Bush administration defines "chronically homeless" as "disabled individuals who have been continuously homeless for more than a year or have experienced at least four episodes of homelessness in the past three years," according to the New York Times, which cites New York City as an example of how these figures can be distorted. While the number of chronically homeless people in New York City declined from 7,002 in 2005 to 5,233 in 2007, the total number of homeless actually increased. In other words, many individuals and families who live on the margins of homelessness and poverty are often not accounted for.

But many New Yorkers give this matter short shrift; just 27 percent in our own survey research, "Compassion, Concern and Conflicted Feelings: New Yorkers on Homelessness and Housing," strongly agree that those living in crowded, squalid conditions are truly homeless. And only 23 percent strongly agree that those living with relatives because they cannot afford housing are really homeless. But this isn't to say the public isn't compassionate when it comes to homelessness. Two-thirds of New Yorkers say people are homeless because of circumstances beyond their control, and there's a general consensus on solutions that lean toward investments in prevention, rental assistance and permanent housing. Strong majorities (85 percent of New Yorkers) approve of having their tax dollars pay for housing for the homeless, and 62 percent say they would increase public spending on programs for the homeless. But an overwhelming majority (96 percent) also say that benefits for the homeless should be conditional on such things as getting training, employment and/or substance abuse and mental health treatment.