Point in Time Count 2005: 727,304 Homeless People Nationwide

[JanMichael]

And this is the LOW count people. There is no concievable way even a full on effort by a community can count 100% of the homeless on one or a series of days. They are limited to known shelters, known campsites, random sitings, honest replies, known areas where homeless folks hang out, etcetera. They are also limited to the HUD definition of homelessness.

This decreases the known count where I live by about 40%.

So anyway USA Today made an effort to get all of the 2005 PIT counts and add them up. This is for 460 areas that reported their counts to HUD.

Once again this is an incomplete count (period) PLUS rural areas did not participate in great numbers so the rural homeless went uncounted.

BUT even with those limitations and oversites we still counted 727,304 homeless people in America.

727,304 is the VERY LOW count. I wonder what the real count is, as if 727,304 isn't already enough of a condemnation.

This was pre-Katrina/Rita too...


Edit: I should add that there is little to no duplication on these one night mass counts. Each one has a form filled out and the location where it was filled out and they are done within a window of time decreasing the chance of duplication.

[sweetheart]

1. The new american slaves

Slavery is back!.. degenerate, typical of the republican losers, more lose-lose to squander
any remaining civility on a race to the bottom. (r)

[JanMichael]

3. 42% families with children.

Isn't that just grand?

[sweetheart]

4. Think of all the SUV's they can live in!

The future is bright as people trade up from a 4 door house
to a 5 door house or even a hummer with an extra bed in the back room!

[madokie]

2. One is 1 too many

I want a leader who will bring them into the fold, my experience tells me I have a right to want

[faithnotgreed]

6. yes - one is too many

and hundreds of thousands is absolutely devastating

this should cause everyone to weep
and then try to renew whatever energy and fight we have to face this "unspeakable" truth
and again to actually do something about it

very kicked and recommended

[JanMichael]

5. Remember this is a Point in Time Count not an annual number.

Which would be much much higher.

[JanMichael]

7. kick

I wonder why I bother...