Report: Homelessness down in Alabama

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April 27, 2015

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A new report by Tim Henderson at Stateline, part of Pew Charitable Trusts, shows that homelessness has gone down in most states over the last seven years, including Alabama.

The number of homeless Alabamians per 100,000 residents is down from 117 to 94 since 2007, a 16 percent drop.

Check out the entire map below:

According to the report, some of the states struggling to decrease the number of homeless men and women are those that were hardest hit by the housing crisis from 2008-2010.

While Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida have all seen their homelessness rate go down over the last seven years at a pace similar to Alabama’s, Mississippi’s has actually increased 62 percent, though their overall rate is still lower than Alabama’s.

The two states with the highest homelessness rates are Hawaii and New York, plus Washington, DC., which also happen to have some of the highest housing costs in the nation.

The report mentions programs some states have developed to help rehabilitate homeless men and women. Utah, in particular, seems to have found success with a program which gives the homeless permanent housing with no strings attached. The state saves an estimated $8,000 per recipient through this program, compared to the $20,000 per homeless person Utah was previously spending to care for that population.

To find a homeless shelter in your community visit www.homelessshelterdirectory.org.