 |
|
| Bay Window : Hope on the Street: Statistics on Homelessness and Mental Illness |
According to the National Resource Center on Homelessness and Mental Illness (NRC), an estimated 842,000 adults and children are homeless in the United States in any given week. That number may reach as high as 3.5 million over the course of a year. The NRC also reports that the majority of homeless people (66 percent) are single adults. However, minorities, especially African Americans (40 percent), are over-represented in the homeless population. (The Center for Mental Health Services, United States Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 1999)
The homeless population is diverse: 22 percent of the homeless in urban areas are employed; 38 percent are families with children; 25 percent are children; 20 to 25 percent have a mental illness; approximately 30 percent are drug or alcohol dependent; and 40 percent of homeless males are veterans. (National Coalition for the Homeless, 1999)
Just under one quarter of the population in the United States will experience an episode of mental illness in their lifetime. (San Francisco Coalition on Homelessness; Rogier, 1990)
An estimated one-third of the approximately 600,000 Americans who are homeless on any given night have serious mental illnesses and more than one-half also have substance use disorders. (Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General, 1999)
An estimated 39% of the homeless population report some form of mental health problems; 20 - 25 percent meet criteria for serious mental illness and 20–25 percent of homeless single adults have lifetime histories of serious mental illness. (The National Resource Center on Homelessness and Mental Illness)
People who are homeless frequently report health problems. In a national survey of homeless people, 66 percent reported either substance abuse and/or mental health problems. (National Resource Center on Homelessness and Mental Illness)
In 1998, approximately 283,800 people with mental illnesses were incarcerated in American prisons and jails. This is four times the number of people in state mental hospitals throughout the country. (U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Special Report: Mental Health and Treatment of Inmates and Probationers, 1999)
People who are homeless frequently depend on the highest-cost public service systems—emergency rooms, hospital psychiatric beds, detoxification centers, residential treatment programs and, in some places, jail cells—which places a huge and unnecessary burden on health, mental health and correctional systems. (Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General, 1999)
The direct costs of mental health services in the United States in 1996 totaled $69.0 billion. This figure represents 7.3 percent of total health spending. (Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General, 1999)
|
|
|
