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

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

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

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

5. Breakdown of 2016 Homeless Population Counts Select Measures

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

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

9. 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

10. 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

11. Links to HAC Homeless Reports
Conducting Homeless Counts on Native American Lands: A Toolkit
ount_toolkit.pdf
Rural Voices: Rural Homelessness March 2016
Veterans Data Central: 2016 Veteran Homeless Data by CoCs