Estimates of Chronic Homelessness by State
The estimates of chronic homelessness included in this table represent the best data available. As with all data, there are several limitations to using these estimates. The estimates are 2005 point-in-time counts required by HUD for Continuums of Care (applicants for homeless assistance funding). Methodology for collecting data vary by locality, but should follow HUD’s standards. Because methods can differ from place to place, we caution users of these estimates against using them for comparison purposes (e.g., state rankings, etc).
For purposes of this chart, chronic homelessness is defined as being an unaccompanied individual who has a disabling condition and has been homeless continuously for at least one year or has been homeless four times in the past three years.
At the time of publication, data were not available for all areas. One asterisk (*) indicates that data were available for the entire state. Two asterisks (**) indicates that data were available for most but not all of the state. In those cases the share of homeless people who are chronically homeless was applied to the entire state to calculate an estimate. States for which data were not available for most of the state are identified as “not available.”
