Learning brief by Hannah Chimowitz & Adam Ruege, originally published by Community Solutions on May 1, 2023
"Solving homelessness will take the full force of a collective effort focused on combating the true causes of homelessness. Since that is the case, the American public’s beliefs and attitudes about homelessness matter profoundly. They shape how people experiencing homelessness are treated, as well as homelessness policies and services. Although some research indicates that the public has become increasingly compassionate toward those experiencing homelessness and supportive of federally funded initiatives to address homelessness over the past few decades,1 many negative stereotypes and assumptions about people experiencing homelessness remain part of America’s collective consciousness, inciting prejudice and resistance to local supportive housing developments. From an individual to systemic level, people experiencing homelessness encounter a profound stigma that can serve as a substantial social barrier to addressing housing inequality.
This learning brief began by examining public perceptions of people experiencing homelessness and the inaccurate assumptions embedded within them. It seeks to equip readers with the evidence they need to affirm truths about homelessness and combat the misconceptions that perpetuate risks to people experiencing homelessness and our ability to solve this urgent social problem.
Truth: The large majority of people experiencing homelessness in a given area are either from the community in which they’re experiencing homelessness, or had been living there for multiple years before they lost housing.
People experiencing homelessness have long been stereotyped as ‘transient drifters,’2 despite evidence demonstrating that they are most often from the communities in which they currently reside. In reality, moving requires money and access to resources that most people experiencing homelessness do not have.
Data from communities across the United States do not support the assumption that people who fall into homelessness migrate to areas in search of local services and assistance. Overall, migration from low-income to high-income areas in the country has dramatically decreased in recent decades, and low-income individuals are actually moving out of high-income areas due to increased housing prices..."
Read the learning brief in its entirety here: Affirming Truths about Homelessness - Community Solutions