On any given night, an estimated 700,000 people are homeless
Over the course of a year, 3-4 million people experience homelessness
Families are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population,
representing about 40 % of all homeless people.
One out of every four homeless persons is a child.
According to a report of the Mayors of 25 major cities, requests
for emergency shelter by families increased 17% in 1999 and by
the same amount in 2000. Over a third of families requests for
shelter went unmet.
According to the most recent US Census Bureau report, there
are about 32 million poor people in this country. One out of every
five children lives in poverty.
An individual earning the minimum wage would have to work 89
hours per week in order to afford an average two bedroom apartment.
The gap between the amount of affordable housing units available
and the number of people who need them is over 4 million units.
