My recent post on the homeless elicited a bunch of comments citing surveys of homeless people. I wish I had been more careful with my terminology, as I was not actually trying to discuss the homeless population, rather my focus was on people living on the streets.
In America, there are an estimated 550,000 homeless people. Within that group, about 85,000 live on the streets or in homeless shelters. Even this figure somewhat overstates the number who live only on the streets. The focus of my post was on those actually living on the streets.
It’s also important to understand that just as people move in and out of homelessness, they move in and out of living on the street. One person might move to California and work for 2 years, lose their job, and end up homeless. Another may be local and have an apartment, and then lose the apartment after being unable to pay rent due to a divorce. Many of the families that are homeless but not living on the street are local residents that receive public assistance. Every situation is complex, hard to describe with simplistic survey questions.
There’s a reason that most economists are highly skeptical of using survey questions to ascertain motivations.
Most of the critics of my post are correct if you look at the entire 550,000 population of homeless. I stand by my claims for the subset of homeless that live on the streets. I still believe there is a strong (and rational) preference to live on the streets of LA compared to Mississippi or Minnesota. It’s very hard to get money in Mississippi and it’s very cold in Minnesota. This has nothing to do with people “choosing” to live on the street, rather its about how people make the best of a very bad situation.
One final point. Many of our homeless stereotypes are about people living on the streets. I suspect that YIMBY policies to build more housing would be most effective at reducing the number of homeless who do not currently live on the streets.
READER COMMENTS
Michael Rulle
May 27 2022 at 10:11am
Some homeless people in fact choose to live on the street. I have known upper middle class men—(2)—who became alcoholics—-and left their families and lived on the street. I knew them because they had came back home before I met them.
They had no clinical mental issues—-just alcoholics—-which is a horrible disease—and it is a disease. I think these are the minority—-by far—-but I do not know that of course.
Having said that, I never met a person who just said “I would rather live on the street”. There is always a condition of some sort——but some of those conditions do not take away free will. It is a difficult problem. But it is important to treat people as humans with at least some degree of free will. It is obvious.
I have to believe mental illness is a large causal factor—-when I used to live and work in NYC, when approached by a homeless person (also in NJ) for money I would often engaged with them—-like “hey—how are you doing”. They did what they thought they needed to do to get money—-be polite etc. But they definitely seemed off——I usually gave (and give) money. One told me he targets $100 a day—-and usually got it. It does not bother me.
But not always. One time I gave —-I forget—-maybe $40—to this guy. He figured if I gave him $40—I could give him more. My wife—-who treats all people like they are human (she once invited 4 homeless guys over for Christmas—-gave them her phone number and address——they helped her with a flat tire in NYC—no they did not come) got pissed—-and grabbed the money back and called him a selfish rude so and so.
Each person is unique——but do not discount free will.
You are correct that less than 20% of defined homeless live on the streets—-and warm weather and public services will draw them——which implies at least an ability to reason.
I am surprised “only” 85000 live on the streets. In NYC, according to The Bowery Mission, 2400 people live on the streets. 14000+ are defined as homeless—-consistent with your analysis. LA and LA County have 100,000 defined as Homeless—which is shocking despite weather and public services——I assume that is part of the 550,000 number. I don’t know how many street people there are.
Houston claims 1400 people live on the streets——surprisingly low given the warm weather—-but Texas has less social services—-not sure that is bad —-maybe incentives do matter.
Is 85000 really a National problem? I don’t think so——it’s a human individual problem—-most of the time——550000 is approaching a National problem—-but it sounds like we are doing at least something.
Michael Rulle
May 27 2022 at 10:15am
Question—-When I write, I separate everything into paragraphs——but it always comes out as a big ugly block. I notice others can get paragraphs—-how is this done? thanks
Scott Sumner
May 27 2022 at 12:08pm
I’m not sure–I have the same problem.
Michael Rulle
May 27 2022 at 10:18am
I just wrote something and it disappeared——what error did I likely make——it definitely was there—-now it is not. Thanks
Matthias
May 27 2022 at 10:51pm
Where do the homeless who don’t live on the street live?
Henri Hein
May 28 2022 at 1:28am
Shelters. Temporary housing. Motels. Staying with friends or family.
Henri Hein
May 28 2022 at 1:29am
Forgot a common one: out of their cars.
Brett
May 30 2022 at 10:43pm
It used to be that the cheap flophouses and rooms-for-rent would soak up most of the people who would be homeless under current conditions. It might be a pretty lousy room in a lousy part of town, but you’d have a room and bed.
That’s basically what Skid Row used to be, and I find it just fascinatingly bizarre in public policy terms. It used to be a cheap part of town with a bad reputation – but also full of residency hotels and flophouses, where you could “always get a bed and a hot meal”. It got nuked by the “urban renewal” set, with the folks being turned out on to the streets – but then rather than reversing that policy and building new cheap rental rooms, they instead turned the area into basically the “homeless district”. So what was even the point?
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