Black Families Greatly Overrepresented Among U.S. Homeless

Report highlights the barriers to stable housing and wellbeing experienced by homeless and low-income black families

NEW YORK, March 5, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In 2010, one out of every 141 black family members stayed in a homeless shelter, a rate seven times higher than members of white families, according to "Intergenerational Disparities Experienced by Homeless Black Families," a report released by the Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness.

"The unfortunate fact is that black families in the United States are much more likely to experience poverty than their white counterparts, and are overwhelmingly represented in homeless shelters throughout the country," said ICPH President and CEO Ralph da Costa Nunez. "This report raises the question of how family homelessness has moved beyond simply a poverty issue and become a racial one."

In 2010, nearly one-quarter (23.3%) of black families lived in poverty, three times the rate of white families (7.1%). Black persons in families make up 12.1% of the U.S. family population, but represented 38.8% of sheltered persons in families in 2010. In comparison, 65.8% of persons in families in the general population are white, while white family members only occupied 28.6% of family shelter beds in 2010.

And the stark overrepresentation of black families in homeless shelters was seen throughout the country. For example, in New York City and St. Louis in 2009, twice as many black families were found in shelters (55.9% and 95%, respectively) compared to their share of the general city population (25.2% versus 49.5%). The opposite held true for white families who were vastly underrepresented in local shelters (1.9% and 3%, respectively), given the percentages of white families in New York City and St. Louis overall (36.1% versus 44.7%). The report shows breakdowns for 37 cities nationwide.

"Prejudice and access barriers experienced by black Americans lead to higher rates of poverty and unemployment, lower educational attainment, and ultimately homelessness," said ICPH Principal Policy Analyst Matthew Adams. "This report highlights how from coast to coast, these entrenched problems lead black families to be overrepresented in homeless shelters across the country."

The Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness (ICPH) is an independent nonprofit research organization based in New York City. ICPH studies the impact of poverty on family and child well-being and generates research that will enhance public policies and programs affecting poor or homeless children and their families. Specifically, ICPH examines the condition of extreme poverty in the United States and its effect on educational attainment, housing, employment, child welfare, domestic violence, and family wellness.

SOURCE Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness