One Number Deep Dive: First Time Homelessness

During the month of September 2024, 71% of people who entered the homeless services system were experiencing homelessness for the first time.

This week’s blog post provides a deep dive into the most recent One Number update with a focus on first time homelessness and what these data mean for addressing first time homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.

FIRST TIME HOMELESSNESS

The Housing Data Snapshot is the hub for the latest data related to housing and homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. It provides an overall count and demographics of homelessness by household type and subpopulation and highlights inflow to (Newly identified, Returns from Permanent Housing, Returns for Inactivity) and outflow from (Exit to Permanent Housing, Exit to Inactivity), homelessness.

Each month the One Number update provides data on the number of newly identified individuals and households experiencing homelessness. Households that are classified as are newly identified are individuals and households that have not had any prior enrollments in the Homeless Management Information System in the previous two years. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) defines first time homelessness as individuals or households who have not had an HMIS enrollment in the past two years. Thus, by HUD definition, those who are classified as “newly identified” in our local inflow reporting, are individuals and households who are experiencing homelessness for the first time.

FIRST TIME HOMELESSNESS ONE NUMBER DATA

During September 2024, 609 (71%) of the 849 people who entered our homeless services system were experiencing homelessness for the first time. This total includes 78 households with minor children (totaling 270 people), 8 multiple adult households (totaling 15 people), and 323 single adults. Of these 609 people, 12 were veterans, 59 individuals met the criteria for chronic homelessness which means they have a disability and have been homeless for one year continuously or 4 times in the past 3 years totaling 12 months, 42 were unaccompanied youth ages 18-24, and 12% were older adults aged 55 years or older.

Characteristics of People Experiencing First Time Homelessness

• Of the 609 people experiencing first-time homelessness during September 2024, 46% identified as man only, 52% identified as woman only, <1% identified as transgender, and 1% preferred not to share their gender identity.
• Seventy-five percent identified as Black, African American, or African only, 13% identified as White only, 4% identified as multi-racial, and 5% identified as Hispanic/Latin(a)(e)(o) only.
• Forty-three percent of people experiencing first time homelessness self-reported a disability with 22% reporting a chronic health condition, 6% reporting a developmental disability, 26% reporting a mental health disorder, 16% reporting a physical disability, 12% reporting an alcohol or drug use disorder or both, and 2% reporting HIV.
• Twenty-five percent of people experiencing first time homelessness reported being survivors of domestic violence, and 8% reported that they are currently fleeing a domestic violence situation.
• Those experiencing first time homelessness most frequently reported entering the homeless services system from a place not meant for habitation (33%), from staying with friends or family (13%), from being self-pay or doubled up in a hotel or motel (5%), and from living in a rental property with no subsidy (4%).
• Sixty percent of adults reported having no income.

PREVENTING FIRST TIME HOMELESSNESS

Homeless prevention programs are intended to reduce inflow into the homeless services system. Such programs ensure housing stability for vulnerable individuals and households, prevent the trauma and negative health and social impacts of homelessness, decrease strain on homeless assistance programs such as emergency shelter, and are more cost-effective than homeless assistance programs. In addition, preventing homelessness also prevents the potential future public costs associated with homelessness such as costs to the child welfare system, hospitals and emergency departments, and the criminal justice system. Homeless prevention programs are also effective in preventing future homelessness. One recent study found that households at-risk of homelessness who received financial assistance were 81% less likely to enter the homeless services system within 6 months.

To be viable, prevention programs need to be effective, efficient, and equitable which means the program prevents homelessness, it targets those most at risk of homelessness, and that resources are distributed in an equitable manner. There have been several studies that employed predictive analytics to target those most at-risk. Some have been able to predict future homelessness using eviction records or utility payment history. Others use screening tools which assess households for risk of becoming homeless immediately or in the future. All of these approaches have the potential to ensure the efficient deployment of prevention resources to those who need it the most. The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness has also highlighted strategies to prevent homelessness equitably, upstream, and through cross-sector coordination and collaboration.

We have an evidence-based roadmap for preventing first time homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg but additional resources are needed to target those most at risk of experiencing homelessness.