Resource #1

WHO ARE THE HOMELESS?

Source: National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty (www.nlchp.org/FA_HAPIA) –
August 2004

Over the past year, over 3 million men, women, and children were homeless. In 1995 the
demand for shelter increased by 11%. This demand is still increasing. More recently, in 2003, the
demand for shelter rose 13%, according to a survey released in December 2003 by the U.S.
Conference of Mayors on hunger and homelessness.

And even more Americans are at risk of homelessness. A January 2001 report by the
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) found that 4.9 million low-income
American households had worst-case housing needs, paying more than 50% of their income on
rent, while HUD estimates that this figure should be no more than 30%.

A missed paycheck, a health crisis, or an unpaid bill pushes poor families over the edge into
homelessness.

The homeless population is diverse. According to the 27 cities surveyed by the U.S. Conference
of Mayors, including Boston, Burlington, Charleston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit,
Kansas City, Los Angeles, Louisville, Nashville, New Orleans, Norfolk, Philadelphia, Phoenix,
Portland, Providence, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, Santa Monica, Seattle, St. Louis, St.
Paul, Trenton and Washington, D.C., the homeless population can be classified by the following
demographic information:

 44% work.
 40% are single men.
 14% are single women.
 4% are unaccompanied children.
 40% are families with children.
 67% are single-parent families.
 39% are mentally disabled.
 11% are veterans.
 34% are drug or alcohol dependent.
 50% are African-American.
 35% are White.
 12% are Hispanic.
 2% are Native American.
 1% are Asian.
Activity #1

Crossword Puzzle about Homeless.

Word list ACROSS CLUES

BILL 2. Home
EVICTION 9. Without a home
FAMILY 10. A statement of money owned for goods and services
FOOD 11. Money for shelter
HELPING 12. Anything used in exchange for goods or services

HOMELESS DOWN CLUES

HOUSING 1. Money earned for a job
LOVE 3. Any shelter, lodging, or dwelling place
MONEY 4. Affection
RENT 5. Forcing people to move from their home
SHELTER 6. Nourishment
WAGES 7. Relatives
8. Providing assistance
Activity #2
Writing a diary of a person who is homeless.
 Choose one of the characters outlined below and write a fictional diary for
this person. You can either write a single day, or a number of days with a
short portion on each.
 You will need to talk about both what their character does each day and
how they feel.
Characters:
A single mother, with a baby. She was sick and lost her job, and
couldn’t afford to pay rent. She has no family to stay with, and was
staying with a friend of hers but they have just moved overseas.
She is now living at a local caravan park, but is not sure if she can
afford to pay the rent next week.

A 16 year old boy who left home because his father would come
home drunk and hit him. He has been staying in a local park for a
week and eating food he finds in a bin at the back of a local
restaurant.

A migrant from Sri Lanka. Their boss fired them to save money,
and because of their poor English ability, they can’t find work. The
real estate agent kicked them out when they became a month
behind in the rent.
Activity #3 Myth Busting Worksheet

1. All people who are homeless live on the street.

True / False

2. People who are homeless are lazy and don’t want to get a job.

True / False

3. People who are homeless sometimes have pets for companionship.

True / False

4. It would be cool to be homeless because you could go anywhere you

want.

True / False

5. All people who are homeless are addicted to drugs or alcohol.

True / False

6. Mental illness is the main reason people are homeless.

True / False

7. There are no homeless children.

True / False

8. All panhandlers (people who ask for money) are homeless.

True / False

9. Homeless people are in all communities not just big cities.

True / False

10. Homelessness is just a fact of life; there is nothing we can do about it.

True / False
Myth Busting Answer Sheet
1. All people who are homeless live on the street.
False - Visible homelessness (the people we see on the street) is just part of the
problem. Researchers estimate that three out of four people who are homeless don’t
sleep on the street, but use shelters, sleep in their cars, or on someone’s couch.
2. People who are homeless are lazy and don’t want to get a job.
False – People who are homeless face many challenges in getting and keeping a job.
Without an address or phone it is impossible to apply for work and many employers
require certain equipment or clothing (e.g. work boots, hard hat etc.) In addition,
without money it is really hard for a person who is homeless to get to work.
3. People who are homeless sometimes have pets for companionship.
True – Pets provide people with friendship, comfort and loyalty.
4. It would be cool to be homeless because you could go anywhere you want.
False – People who are homeless are often not welcome in stores and restaurants.
People who are homeless are often not able to access washrooms or use phones.
Without income, they cannot pay for bus fare and often have to walk long distances
to get from place to place.
5. All people who are homeless are addicted to drugs or alcohol.
False – While some people who are homeless do have addiction problems, studies
show that less than half suffer from addictions.
6. Mental illness is the main reason people are homeless.
False – While some people who are homeless do suffer from mental illness, a recent
study of homelessness in Canada has found the main reason for homelessness is
poverty (lack of money).
7. There are no homeless children.
False – The 2008 count of homeless people in the Metro Vancouver area found there
were 84 children among families who were homeless.
8. All panhandlers (people who ask for money) are homeless.
False – Some panhandlers are homeless but some have housing and panhandle to
supplement their income.
9. Homeless people are in all communities not just big cities.
True – Homelessness is not just a big city issue. For many years now, homelessness
has been an increasingly visible part of life in suburban areas and in smaller
communities.
10. Homelessness is just a fact of life; there is nothing we can do about it.
False – It takes three things to end homelessness: adequate income, affordable
housing and support services for those who need them. We can solve homelessness.
Discuss questions.

Imagine If
While the general impression is that the homeless are primarily the chronic and episodic,
those individuals often seen living on the streets, fact is more than half the homeless are families
with children. The vast majority of these have been thrust into homelessness by a life altering event
or series of events that were unexpected and unplanned.
Homelessness is caused by tragic life occurrences like the loss of loved ones, job loss, domestic
violence, natural disasters, and divorce and family disputes. For those living in poverty or close to
the poverty line, an "everyday" life issue that may be manageable for individuals with a higher
income can be the final factor in placing them on the street.
Share with your group members a story from your community that shows how a family
became homeless. Making the story real and relatable will cause your group members to imagine
themselves in that scenario, making your group members more empathetic to the homeless
families they will be serving.

Discussion Questions:
 What if this happened to you?
 How would you survive?
 Would you become homeless too?
 What would happen to your family?