How many homeless people are there in Chicago?

According to a December 2006 estimate by the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless
and the UIC Survey Research Lab, there were 73,656 people who
experienced homelessness in the course of a year and 21,078 on a given
night. Read the study: How many people are homeless in Chicago? (Word document).

How many homeless people are there in Illinois?

CCH has not attempted a statewide estimate using the same methodology with which we did the city estimate. However, based on the Illinois Department of Human Services annual report, we do know that around 48,000 people a year are
served in state-funded shelters and that the Illinois State Board of
Education estimates that there are 60,000 school-aged children in
Illinois that are homeless each year.

How many homeless people are there in a particular neighborhood?

CCH does not have any data that breaks down the number of homeless people by Chicago neighborhoods.

What percentage of people experiencing homelessness are single adults, families, men, women and youth?

According to the 2006 CCH estimate, 36 percent were children, 16 percent were adults in families, 43 percent
were single adults and 10 percent were unaccompanied homeless youth.
(The percentages add up to more than 100 percent because there is some
overlap between homeless youth and the other categories).

According to the City of Chicago 2007 Point in Time Count, 65 percent of homeless
people were single individuals and 35 percent were individuals in
families. Less than 1 percent were unaccompanied homeless youth,
but it's important to note that homeless youth were likely
undercounted. There are very few shelter beds available for
homeless minors and they are hard to locate unsheltered.

How many homeless people have a substance abuse problem?

Approximately 26 percent, according to the U.S. Conference of Mayors. 

How many homeless people suffer from mental illness?
Approximately 20 to 25 percent of the single-adult homeless population suffers from
some form of severe and persistent mental illness, according to the
National Coalition for the Homeless 2007 Fact Sheet.

How many homeless people are survivors of domestic violence?
56 percent of women in homeless shelters reported that they had
experienced domestic violence. Source: Center for Impact Research, Pathways to and from Homelessness: Women and Children in Chicago Shelters (PDF)

What is the racial breakdown of homeless people in Chicago?
According to the City of Chicago 2007 Point in Time Count, the racial demographics of the homeless population were:
African American: 75 percent
White: 16 percent
Latino: 6 percent

For more facts and statistics about homelessness, please see our Fact Sheet.