The Challenge of Identifying Rural Homelessness Keith Wiley Housing Assistance Council The National Conference on Ending Homelessness and Capitol Hill Day July 17, 2017

Outline Difficulties in counting the rural homeless Description of the rural homeless population Issues with national count data Local counts most useful

Difficulties Dispersed population Out of sight out of mind Limited contact with service providers

Balance of State CoCs (Rural) Homeless Population Estimates 2007-16

Breakdown of 2016 Homeless Population Counts Select Measures

Rural Population Characteristics Families and female homelessness Doubling up, substandard housing, etc. Transportation

Rural Homeless Undercount and Limitations with National Effort Few central locations/shelters Limited resources in rural areas Data does not provide specific rural counts

Need Better Information Accurate count is critical to getting the resources necessary to help Local groups likely need to collect it themselves Local groups will know their community and population better which can allow for a more accurate count and assessment

Conclusion Many challenges to accurately identifying rural homeless populations Some data exists and while it is useful there are also concerns as to its accuracy, particularly for rural areas Counts involving local groups can provide the most useful information

Links to HAC Homeless Reports Conducting Homeless Counts on Native American Lands: A Toolkit http://www.ruralhome.org/storage/documents/rpts_pubs/na_homeless_c ount_toolkit.pdf Rural Voices: Rural Homelessness March 2016 Veterans Data Central: 2016 Veteran Homeless Data by CoCs http://www.veteransdata.info/