Black Homelessness 

By Shelley McKinley

(Source aframnews)

      Homelessness is an issue for some and an experience for others. Of those experiencing homelessness, the 2022 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) data tells us that nationally 50.0% of homeless people are white, and 37.3% of homeless people are Black. According to the Coalition for the Homeless, which serves as the lead agency to The Way Home Continuum of Care (CoC) and is the Greater Houston homeless response system, the vast majority of those experiencing homelessness are Black/African American (55%) or white (41%) in Harris County. The 2020 U.S. Census showed a total of 6,174,367 persons in Harris, Montgomery, and Fort Bend counties.

How are homeless people counted? HUD uses a Point-in-Time (PIT) methodology, offering a snapshot of homelessness—both sheltered and unsheltered—on a single night. The onenight PIT counts are typically conducted during the last 10 days of January each year. HUD has methodological standards for conducting the PIT counts, and CoCs use a variety of approved methods to produce the counts. In Houston, the official “night of record” for the count occurred on the night of Jan. 23, 2023. Persons experiencing homelessness were found in one of four settings – places not meant for human habitation (i.e., unsheltered), emergency shelters, transitional housing, or safe havens. Safe havens are supportive housing that serves hard-to-reach homeless persons with severe mental illness who are on the street and have been unable or unwilling to participate in supportive services.

When asked what the primary cause of their homelessness was, one-third said loss of job or loss of income. Another 9% of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness indicated they were homeless due to the COVID-19 pandemic with most citing the loss of a job or reduction in hours and/or eviction as the precipitating event. The second most common reason given (21%) was family conflict. In a separate question, 8% of unsheltered individuals indicated they were homeless due to a natural disaster. Of those answering yes, 60% cited Hurricane Harvey, another hurricane, or flooding as the reason.

In September 2023, ahead of the Houston Mayoral election, the Kinder Institute found that 85% of Houston residents reported being either “concerned” or “very concerned” about homelessness, just behind crime and safety at 86%. Now headed into a runoff, Houston Mayoral Candidates Jackson Lee or Whitmire will have to deliver on their campaign promise regarding homelessness in Houston. Both U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and TX Sen. John Whitmire said their legislative experience would allow them to collaborate with local, state, and federal governments to bring additional funding and manpower to tackle the issue.

At the Healthcare for the Homeless Forum on August 17, 2023, Jackson Lee said her experience in Congress will allow her to work with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to secure rental assistance and resources for low-income housing. She also pledged to have a cabinet member of her administration dedicated to addressing homelessness. At the same forum, Whitmire pledged to bring the owners of the Astros, Rockets and Texans together and give them 90 days to develop a plan for funding or providing healthcare for homeless Houstonians.

Among the Black/ African American homeless population, many are U.S. Military Veterans, survivors of domestic violence, persons with HIV/ AIDS, persons with serious mental illness, individuals experiencing chronic substance use disorder (alcohol and/or drugs), and unaccompanied young adults and parenting young adults. Since 2012, more than 28,000 people who have experienced homelessness in the greater Houston area have been housed. This has resulted in a more than a 60% decrease in overall homelessness in just over a decade. Houstonians are counting on the next mayor to continue this trend.