But the facts have yet to demonstrate that moving people from welfare to work results in more poor on the streets, they say. In Wisconsin, which has been a leader in welfare reform, there has been little increase in homeless numbers. That state measures homelessness by requested shelter days. Wisconsin's roughly 27,000 homeless persons requested shelter 358,231 times in 1995. The number of homeless single adults has remained steady at about 2,500 for the past five years.
Many homeless activists call for full funding of rent subsidies to counteract welfare reform.
In a special count, the Census Bureau found fewer than 250,000 homeless in the nation in 1990. And contrary to the beliefs of some activists, research says that deep-seated behavioral problems, far more than a lack of housing, cause people to become and stay homeless. Two in five had been in more than one. Investor's Business Daily , January 22, 1997.