Right now, the majority of people who have participated in my survey are from Virginia, which is understandable considering that is where I am based and it takes a bit of time for information to spread. I have had several people provide input from other states, such as North Carolina, Tennessee, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Maryland, and Washington DC, as well as from Mexico and Sri Lanka. A huge thank you to everyone who has participated so far!
Because there is a large representation from Virginia right now, I thought I would provide a few statistics on homelessness in Virginia right now. All of the following data is from the Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness website (www.vceh.org). This is a very small representation of data that exists on homelessness in Virginia, but will help give you an idea of how prevalent it is. Most of Virginia consists of rural areas and small towns, with a few large cities and areas like Northern Virginia and Richmond.
Many people may think that homelessness is nowhere near them because they are from rural areas, myself included. However, it is a very real issue in Virginia, and often affects those you may not suspect.
"Housing is out of reach for many families in Virginia. A person or family must earn $20.72 per hour in order to afford housing on average in Virginia (National Low Income Housing Coalition)."
"12.93 percent of Virginia households pay more than 50% of household income on housing - putting many at risk of homelessness."
"For every 10,000 Virginians, 13 experience homelessness on any given night."
"85% to 100% of tenants in several of Virginia’s permanent supportive housing programs have not returned to homelessness."
"Approximately 8,400 men, women, and children experience homelessness on any given night in Virginia (2012 Community Data)."
"One in four Americans lives with a mental health problem each year, yet up to two-thirds go without treatment. There are high rates of mental illness among the homeless population (Data from National Center on Family Homelessness)."
"Permanent supportive housing - the solution to homelessness for many including those who experience chronic homelessness - saves money to other systems of care including hospitals and jail."
"There are approximately 1,600 individuals who experience chronic homelessness in Virginia. Chronic homeless is defined as an unaccompanied individual with a disabling condition -- including mental illness, chemical dependence, and other chronic health conditions (2012 Community Point in Time Data)."
"Over the course of a year, 40,000 Virginians experience homelessness -- some for long periods of time and some for only a few days, weeks, or months."
Because there is a large representation from Virginia right now, I thought I would provide a few statistics on homelessness in Virginia right now. All of the following data is from the Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness website (www.vceh.org). This is a very small representation of data that exists on homelessness in Virginia, but will help give you an idea of how prevalent it is. Most of Virginia consists of rural areas and small towns, with a few large cities and areas like Northern Virginia and Richmond.
Many people may think that homelessness is nowhere near them because they are from rural areas, myself included. However, it is a very real issue in Virginia, and often affects those you may not suspect.
"Housing is out of reach for many families in Virginia. A person or family must earn $20.72 per hour in order to afford housing on average in Virginia (National Low Income Housing Coalition)."
"12.93 percent of Virginia households pay more than 50% of household income on housing - putting many at risk of homelessness."
"For every 10,000 Virginians, 13 experience homelessness on any given night."
"85% to 100% of tenants in several of Virginia’s permanent supportive housing programs have not returned to homelessness."
"Approximately 8,400 men, women, and children experience homelessness on any given night in Virginia (2012 Community Data)."
"One in four Americans lives with a mental health problem each year, yet up to two-thirds go without treatment. There are high rates of mental illness among the homeless population (Data from National Center on Family Homelessness)."
"Permanent supportive housing - the solution to homelessness for many including those who experience chronic homelessness - saves money to other systems of care including hospitals and jail."
"There are approximately 1,600 individuals who experience chronic homelessness in Virginia. Chronic homeless is defined as an unaccompanied individual with a disabling condition -- including mental illness, chemical dependence, and other chronic health conditions (2012 Community Point in Time Data)."
"Over the course of a year, 40,000 Virginians experience homelessness -- some for long periods of time and some for only a few days, weeks, or months."