Homelessness is not a choice, but rather a journey that many find themselves in.

- Asa Don Brown

Facts About Homelessness

Data collected from the 2023 Point-in-Time Homeless (PIT) Count in Dallas, Texas showed:

- 4,244 individuals were experiencing homelessness on a single night, and those were the only individuals who were phycially found and counted.
- Two-thirds of those counted as homeless were male.
- Veteran homelessness increased over 20% from 2022,
- Youth homelessness increased 18%, and,
- Family homelessness increased 15%.
- According to Apartments.com, in August 2024, the average apartment rent in Dallas for a 714 square feet dwelling was $1,378.00. That price is absolutely out of reach for a person experiencing homelessness.

People WHO ARE experiencing homelessness may:

- Sleep out in the open
- Live in abandoned buildings
- Sleep in a car
- Camp outdoors
- Live in transitional housing or emergency shelters
- Double up temporarily with family or friends ("couch surfing")
- Temporarily "place their children" with other people, which is mostly family or friends

Why Don't They Just Get a Job?

The truth is, many homeless people DO have jobs! Most experts estimate between 1/3 and 1/2 of all homeless people are currently employed. Regardless of what you may think, here are several reasons why finding a job is very difficult for so many fellow Americans:

1. Many employers would never think of hiring a homeless person.
2. Most employers require addresses.
3. Many employers do credit screenings on potential employees. Being homeless is a credit score killer.
4. Many employers won't hire people with criminal records, and it's very easy to be arrested when homeless.
5. Many employers assume homeless people are addicts.
6. Many homeless people don't have reliable phones. If they do, they might not always be able to consistently keep their phone charged.
7. Most employers require grooming, but it's very difficult to find showers and have clean clothes (especially clean underwear) when you're homeless. Haircuts and shaved faces are a luxury for most homeless, and so is having and using makeup.
8. They're tired. Many homeless people fear that their posessions will be stolen by others on the streets if they fall asleep, or worse, they might even encounter dangerous violence! Some even resorting to using drugs to stay awake to prevent theft and violence from happening to them. Not being able to rest peacefully on-demand ultimately leads to poor job performance and inconsistent punctuality at their workplace(s).