This will be a list of facts about homeless people, that will be a work in progress and hopefully it will grow. There are many different types of homeless experiences and thus different types of homeless people. Because the different types of homeless people have a lot in common it’s hard to categorize homeless people into separate types. “Chronically homeless” is the type that most people are concerned with. HUD tried to define the chronically homeless, and according to most people working in the field, HUD got a lot of it wrong. But it was still an attempt and worth considering. Chronically homeless people are those who are most obviously homeless, although many chronically homeless people, such as myself, do not “appear” to be homeless. Chronically homeless people spend more time being homeless, and have the hardest time getting out of homelessness and staying out of homelessness. There are a good number of homeless people who become homeless only because of economics, but these people don’t stay homeless for very long. Chronically homeless people must overcome many separate troubling issues in order to leave homelessness. Certainly, the more complex the problems for the homeless person, the longer it takes for him/her to overcome it.

A List Sure To Grow:
Homelessness is not caused by poverty.

Homelessness is not an extension of poverty.

People who live in poverty desire to participate in society but are not very successful at it.

People who are homeless do not desire to be a part of society.

Homeless people are not motivated by the same things as other non-homeless people.

The homeless population is very diverse.

Blacks represent a disproportionately high percentage of the homeless population.

Most homeless people do not travel the country.

Most homeless people stay near the city they were born.

Of those homeless who do travel the country, they do so mainly in search of family or friends, or work.

Homeless people do not travel the country in search of services to the homeless.

Homeless people do not travel the country in search of better weather.

Nobody wants to be homeless.

People who say they want to be homeless do so only out of spite.

Not all panhandlers are homeless.

Most homeless people do not panhandle.

Nearly all money gained from panhandling goes toward buying drugs and alcohol.

Conversion to Christianity is not necessary for someone to escape homelessness.

Forcing a homeless person to accept or practice Christianity in exchange for food/shelter/help with leaving homelessness, may actually cause that homeless person to reject Christianity, and may actually prolong his/her homeless experience.

Very very few homeless people escape homelessness by “pulling themselves up by their boot straps.” (Most homeless people don’t have bootstraps)

Most homeless people escape homelessness by way of someone bailing them out.