Vacant U.S. Homes Stats: The U.S. Has Room for all of U.K.

by Maireid Sullivan | July 25, 2009 at 05:51 pm

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In Australia, according to recent release of 2006 census figures, there are 100,000 homeless, but that figure will have multiplied many fold since 2006. The Australian government has allocated millions to reduce homelessness to 50% by 2020, but that initiative hasn't been launched to date.
According to neo-classical economics supply and demand strategies, rents and house prices must Boom and Bust. According to predictions by classical economics theorists, we still haven't reached the fall in the current 18-year real estate Boom-Bust cycle: 14 yeart to the peak in August 2008, then 2 years to the edge and 2 years to the fall.

July 24, 2009–"According to the latest data, the number of vacant U.S. homes touched 18.7-million in the second quarter. That is a daunting figure, of course, but it is more fun to put it in context. Assuming four people per household, the U.S. currently has enough surplus housing to put the entire population of the U.K., with room left over for Israel." Paul Kedrosky

In the USA, homeless figures were estimated in 2007 at 3.5 million.
See Homeless Resource Center http://www.nrchmi.samhsa.gov/
Recommended article: Outreach Nurses Help Families in Motels and Shelters to Stay Healthy

The birth of the motel coincided with the growth of the highway system and the popularity of long distance road trips in the 1920s. It was a convenient and affordable option for travelers.

Today the highway motel is home to people facing a different kind of journey. It is one marked by isolation, fear, and the stress of caring for small children alone, disconnected from social networks and critical support services. All over the country, families are becoming homeless. Many are living in motels as a temporary solution. Yet this solution is one that is challenging, expensive, and difficult for both parents and children. ...

STATISTICS: 842,000 homeless per week!

An estimated 842,000 adults and children are homeless in a given week, with that number swelling to as many as 3.5 million over the course of a year. People who are homeless are the poorest of the poor. While almost half (44%) of people who are homeless work at least part-time, their monthly income averages only $367 compared to the median monthly income for U.S. households of $2,840. Those who have disabilities and are unable to work can find it nearly impossible to secure affordable housing in virtually every major housing market in the country.

The majority are unaccompanied adults, but the number of homeless families is growing:

66% are single adults, and of these, three-quarters are men

11% are parents with children, 84% of whom are single women

23% are children under 18 with a parent, 42% of whom are under 5 years of age

Racial and ethnic minorities, particularly African Americans, are overrepresented:

41% are non-Hispanic whites (compared to 76% of the general population)

40% are African Americans (compared to 11% of the general population)

11% are Hispanic (compared to 9% of the general population)

8% are Native American (compared to 1% of the general population)

Homelessness continues to be a largely urban phenomenon:

71% are in central cities

21% are in suburbs

9% are in rural areas

People who are homeless frequently report health problems:

38% report alcohol use problems

26% report other drug use problems

39% report some form of mental health problems (20-25% meet criteria for serious mental illness)

66% report either substance use and/or mental health problems

3% report having HIV/AIDS

26% report acute health problems other than HIV/AIDS such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, or sexually transmitted diseases

46% report chronic health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or cancer

People who are homeless also have high rates of other background characteristics:

23% are veterans (compared to 13% of the general population)

25% were physically or sexually abused as children

27% were in foster care or institutions as children

21% were homeless as children

54% were incarcerated at some point of their lives