African Americans are 40 percent of the nation’s homeless population
The total number of homeless is 567,715 and 40 percent or 225, 735 are African American, although only 13 percent of the nation’s population is black, according to “The 2019 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress.”
The numbers are based on “Point-In-Time Estimates of Homelessness” taken one night in January 2020. The Point-In-Time Estimates reported that 27 percent of the 56,381 who were unsheltered were black. Unsheltered homeless means they are sleeping in cars, on the streets or in parks or on buses, subways and elevated trains.
“African Americans have remained considerably overrepresented among the homeless population compared to the U.S. population,” according to the report.
Blacks represented 52 percent of the homeless population with children.
About 48 percent or 270,607 of the homeless are white. They also comprised just over half of the unsheltered population or 57 percent of 119,487.
Asians were 1.3 percent or 7,228 of the homeless population. Hispanics or Latinos were 22 percent or 124,615 of the homeless population. Native Americans were 3.2 percent or 17,966 of the homeless population.
Men and boys comprise 343,187 or 60.5 percent of the homeless compared with women who comprise 219,911 or 38.7% of homeless.