A Shortage of Affordable Housing

America faces a dual crisis: wages have not kept pace with skyrocketing rents, while a severe shortage of affordable units further strains the market. Without adequate government intervention through rental assistance and affordable housing development, millions of low-income households spend unsustainable portions of their income on rent, leaving them one financial emergency away from homelessness.

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Limited Access to Healthcare and Other Voluntary Services

All people need access to an array of healthcare options as well as other types of services and support networks to live stably and thrive. When people can’t afford or access the health services that meet their needs, it can worsen both health issues and financial hardships, both of which can contribute to a loss of housing.

Systemic Racism and Discrimination of Marginalized Groups

Homelessness is primarily the result of structural drivers, many of which can be attributed to historical and current discriminatory policies, programs, and practices at all levels of government. As a result of this systemic discrimination and marginalization, some people — especially Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, American Indian, Alaska Native, Black, and Latino people, LGBTQ+ people, and people with disabilities — have experienced inequitable access to economic opportunity, housing security, healthcare, and more, all of which contribute to increased risk of homelessness.

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People Who Can’t Afford Rent

Millions of Americans are being pushed into homelessness because they can’t afford rising rent prices. There just aren’t enough affordable homes for everyone.

People Who Have Insufficient Income to Make Ends Meet

When wages and benefit programs don’t keep up with rising rents, many people struggle to make ends meet.

People with Unaddressed Health Conditions

Like many Americans, people experiencing homelessness (and especially unsheltered homelessness) frequently live with one or more chronic diseases. Often, these are common health issues that could be managed with access to primary care and generic medication. In other cases, they are complex or progressive issues — including mental health and substance use disorders — which require more intensive treatment options. Homelessness worsens both, exacerbating health conditions and increasing morbidity associated with cardiovascular, respiratory, and infectious diseases.

Marginalized Groups Subject to Systemic Disinvestment and Discrimination

Homelessness doesn’t impact everyone equally. Some communities (especially Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, American Indian, Alaska Native, Black, Latino, LGBTQ+, and people with disabilities) are more likely to experience homelessness due to systemic and ongoing racism, discrimination, and disinvestment.

Improving Access to Affordable Housing

Housing is the common denominator that every person needs to end their homelessness. When people cannot afford the rising cost of rent, they are at higher risk of losing their homes. Solving homelessness means not just creating more affordable housing but also expanding programs that help people access it. Whether through building new housing units, increasing voucher availability, or breaking down the barriers to equitable access to housing, we can create sustainable paths out of homelessness.

Boosting Income and Public Benefits

Improving income opportunities and increasing investments in public benefits is essential to bridging the gap between wages and the rising cost of housing. By ensuring people have access to better incomes and robust public assistance, we can make significant strides toward ending homelessness.

Ensuring Access to Quality Healthcare, Treatment, and Services

All over the nation, people struggle to access the quality healthcare that they need to live stable, healthy lives. But when people can’t access or afford the care that they need, their medical and economic vulnerability increases. For people experiencing homelessness who often have high health needs, the situation is even more urgent, and the barriers are even higher. By expanding the available resources and increasing the capacity of the healthcare sector to serve more people in need, we can keep people safer and healthier while they work to reconnect to housing.

Creating Equitable Responses

For decades, our homelessness response system has served some populations effectively while systematically failing others. This isn’t just about uneven outcomes — it means that someone’s race, gender identity, or background can determine whether they find a path out of homelessness or remain trapped in it. Ending homelessness requires us to confront and dismantle these systemic barriers, redesign services around the specific needs of marginalized communities, and ensure that everyone has a genuine opportunity to access stable housing. Without this transformation, we risk perpetuating a system where some people receive help while others are left behind simply because of who they are.