Low-paying jobs lead the list of causes of hunger identified by the city officials. Other causes cited, in order of frequency, include unemployment and other employment-related problems, food stamp cuts, high housing costs, poverty or lack of income, and low benefits in public assistance programs. During the past year requests for emergency shelter increased in the survey cities by an average of three percent, with 59 percent of the cities registering an increase. Requests for shelter by homeless families alone increased by five percent, with 64 percent of the cities reporting an increase. An average of 27 percent of the requests for emergency shelter by homeless people overall and 32 percent of the requests by homeless families alone are estimated to have gone unmet during the last year.
People remain homeless an average of five months in the survey cities.
Fifty-two percent of the cities said that the length of time people are homeless increased during the last year. Substance abuse and the lack of needed services lead the list of causes of homelessness identified by the city officials. Other causes cited, in order of frequency, include lack of affordable housing, mental illness and the lack of needed services, low paying jobs, domestic violence, and changes and cuts in public assistance. Officials estimate that, on average, single men comprise 47 percent of the homeless population, families with children 36 percent, single women 14 percent and unaccompanied minors four percent. Children account for one-fourth of the homeless population.