Age and Racial Differences
In 2013:
Provided by: The 2013 Annual Homeless Assessment Report
- 58% of all homeless people in families were under the age of 18. The same proportion of sheltered people in families were children, and a slightly smaller share of unsheltered people in families was under 18 (52 percent or 15,953 people).
- A similar share of people in families was between the ages of 18 and 24 across sheltered status (about 10 percent).
- Just less than 1/3 (32%) of homeless people in families were 25 years of age or older.
Provided by: The 2013 Annual Homeless Assessment Report
How many homeless people live in Illinois?
- According to the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, McKinney-Vento homeless assistance programs counted 57,529 homeless children in Illinois in 2010, according to a December 2011 study by the National Center on Family Homelessness. This is a 4-year increase of 88%, with 30,636 homeless Illinois children counted in 2006.
- The Illinois State Board of Education says public schools identified 54,892 homeless students in the 2012-13 school year, up 15% in a year. (Released Feb 2014)
Americas Youngest Outcasts 2010
Illinois Report Card 2010
Local State Comparisons
Illinois
580,000 children living in poverty, five out of every one hundred are homeless. (5%)
Iowa
142,000 children living in poverty, seven out of every one hundred are homeless. (7%)
Indiana
285,000 children living in poverty, one out of very twenty are homeless. (5%)
Missouri
256,000 children living in poverty, twelve out of every one hundred are homeless. (12%)
580,000 children living in poverty, five out of every one hundred are homeless. (5%)
Iowa
142,000 children living in poverty, seven out of every one hundred are homeless. (7%)
Indiana
285,000 children living in poverty, one out of very twenty are homeless. (5%)
Missouri
256,000 children living in poverty, twelve out of every one hundred are homeless. (12%)
Risk Factors
- Illinois is ranked 33 out of the 50 states on there vulnerability to high rates of child homelessness.
- Nationally, there were 1.6 million homeless children, equivalent to 1 in 45 children living homeless in the U.S.
- Risk factors for homelessness focus on individual vulnerabilities, like recent pregnancy or hospitalization of a parent for a mental health or substance problem.
- Individual factors can only tell who is more likely to be affected by adverse economic and housing factors.
- Why someone becomes homeless is determined by structural factors like the lack of affordable housing and employment opportunities.
Information provided by Americas Youngest Outcasts 2010, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, The 2013 Annual Homeless Assessment Report.