What is Unsheltered Homelessness?

Although homelessness demographics can vary from community to community, certain groups are disproportionately likely to experience homelessness based on their race, gender, or ability.  

We know the most about unsheltered homelessness from the Point-in-Time (PIT) Count, a federally mandated annual or bi-annual survey during which homeless services organizations and volunteers canvass their communities to identify people sleeping outside. Recent data from the PIT Count found that:

• American Indian, Alaska Native, and Indigenous people, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders, Asian and Asian Americans, and Multi-Racial people are over-represented in unsheltered homelessness rates. 
• Gender-expansive people experiencing homelessness are more likely to be unsheltered than sheltered.
• Nearly 14,000 veterans are unsheltered. 
• About one-fourth of unsheltered people are over the age of 55. 
• While most unsheltered people are individual adults, far too many children, families, and unaccompanied youth continue to endure unsheltered homelessness.
• 61 percent of disabled people who have experienced long-term or frequent homelessness were unsheltered. 
• Most people experiencing unsheltered homelessness are located in major cities (49%), but many live in suburbs and smaller cities (30%) and rural communities (21%). 
• People who live in vehicles are also considered unsheltered. We lack data on the prevalence of vehicular homelessness on a national level, though some communities track this information. 

For more information:

• Unsheltered Homelessness (BHHI, 2024)
• Periodic Assessment of Trajectories of Housing, Homelessness, and Health Study: Encampment Sweeps and Housing Trajectories (USC, 2024) 

Most communities do not have enough shelter to provide a safe sleeping option for all unhoused people, and shelters that do exist are not always a good fit for people. For example, facilities may be older or not built to withstand the heavy usage most shelters receive, or may not be equipped to meet people’s medical needs and support their mental health. When shelters prohibit partners or pets from staying together, people may choose to sleep outside rather than separate from those they hold dear. Some shelters put up barriers that turn people away, like requirements of sobriety, little or no criminal background, and proof of identification or residency, or charge fees.   

Studies show time and time again that more than 90% of people experiencing homelessness would move into housing if available.  

The term “encampment” is generally used to refer to a visible grouping of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness and their belongings, like tents, pallets, tarps, or other protective structures. Unhoused people are especially vulnerable to crime and to the elements, and encampments can offer some safety for themselves and their belongings. Forming communities can foster a sense of stability and social support for their residents. 

Being unsheltered can be dangerous, even deadly. Research shows that people experiencing unsheltered homelessness suffer from worse health conditions including chronic disease, substance use, and serious mental illness, than people living in shelter, and that these conditions deteriorate further over time. People who are unsheltered, especially women, are more vulnerable to crime including physical and sexual violence. Substance use can start as a coping mechanism for these conditions: for example, people may use methamphetamine to stay awake to protect against theft or violence. The criminalization of unsheltered homelessness—like when people are ticketed, fined, or jailed for sleeping outside—pushes people into more isolated environments to avoid contact with law enforcement. These places are often more dangerous and disconnected from services, including street medicine, which can negatively impact people’s health and contribute to higher risk of lethal overdose. Extreme weather conditions, including those exacerbated by global climate change like extreme heat and flooding, as well as environmental hazards, like air pollution, further contribute to the dangers of being forced to live outside. Tragically, these factors combined result in significantly increased risk of premature death compared to sheltered and housed people. 

For more information:

• Protecting People Experiencing Homelessness from Extreme Heat and Other Climate Risks (HUD, 2024)  
• Homelessness & Climate Change: A Roundup of Resources for Communities Before, During, and After Disasters (USICH, 2023) 
• Unsheltered Homelessness and Health: A Literature Review (2023)