Education

Facts & Myths about Homelessness

Myth 1: Homeless people come to Durango because we have so many services.

More than two thirds of the unhoused have been in the area for more than two years, with well over a third reporting that they have lived in the area for six years or longer. Many were born and raised in the area.

Myth 2: Homeless people are just lazy and don’t want to work:

Nearly 1 in 5 (18%) of the unhoused surveyed are employed. Those without jobs cited a variety of significant barriers to obtaining employment.

When specifically asked what prevented them from getting a job. These barriers include:

• Health problems and/or disabilities (33%)

• Lack of vehicle or reliable transportation (18%)

• Missing vital documents such as identification and social security (13%)

• Lack of housing (10%)

Whether or not it was specifically identified as a barrier to employment, more than half of respondents (55.4%) are in need of vital documents such as an ID or a social security card.

Myth 3: Homeless people prefer to live outside

The most common events identified as the primary cause of homelessness are:

• job loss (28%)

• cost of living (27%)

• disability (13%)

• domestic violence (10%).

Myth 4: College Students are never homeless

More than 1 in 4 Fort Lewis College (FLC) students (27.4%) reported having personally experienced housing insecurity while attending FLC. In the context of this question, “housing insecurity” was defined for survey takers as “not having access to safe, affordable, and reliable housing.”

terms and definitions:

Affordable housing: Housing which is deemed affordable to those with a household income at or below the median as rated by the national government or a local government by a recognized housing affordability index. 

Area Median Income (AMI): The area median income (AMI) is the household income for the median — or middle — household in a region.

Bridge Housing provides a temporary place for those who have been matched with a housing opportunity (typically through the Coordinated Entry System or another referral source) to safely reside while waiting to move into the housing (e.g., while logistics for utilizing the housing resource are being finalized). “Housing opportunities” may include tenant-based and project-based vouchers, rapid re-housing opportunities, and other permanent housing resources supported with local, state, and federal resources. Bridge Housing targets those who are matched with a housing intervention but have a gap of time or specific housing barrier or hurdle that must be cleared before they can access that housing. Specifically, target populations include those who need a bridge to help them exit homelessness as quickly as possible and not languish while they wait for the available permanent intervention.

Case management: A provider-client relationship that focuses on resource connection, everyday needs, and client goals. Most case managers meet at least weekly with clients, to ensure they are offering support and guidance. 

Chronic homelessness: The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) applies this term to any adult with a disabling condition or a family with at least one adult member with a disabling condition who has been continuously homeless for one year or more and/or has experienced four or more episodes of homelessness within the past three years. 

Emergency Shelter: any facility with the primary purpose to provide a temporary shelter for people experiencing homelessness. Emergency Shelter, also known as shelter, provides a safe place for those experiencing homelessness to stay temporarily. Emergency Shelter guests do not sign leases or occupancy agreements and are not charged rent.

Episodic homelessness: A state in which a person has experienced three episodes of homelessness within a single calendar year. 

Housing first: A model that prioritizes housing, ensuring unhoused neighbors have a consistent and safe place to sleep each night. This model is based on the idea that in order for an individual to pursue long-term stability, they first need a safe place to rest, sleep, and store their belongings. 

Housing insecure: A term that refers to the families identified by a school district as qualifying for McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act services. McKinney Vento services are for children and families who are homeless or who do not have a stable living situation. For example, a family residing in a low-cost hotel or automobile, or multiple families living in a single apartment. 

Permanent supportive housing: An intervention that combines affordable housing assistance with voluntary support services to address the needs of chronically homeless people. 

Sheltered homeless: Those living in a supervised public or privately operated shelter designated to provide a temporary living arrangement that includes congregate shelters, transitional housing and hotels paid for by charitable organizations or by federal, state or local governmental programs. 

Situational homelessness: The status of being forced to live without housing due to a specific emergency, such as a natural disaster, job loss, or death of a primary income earner. In the event of a disaster, temporary shelter may be set up for individuals to seek immediate refuge. 

Transitional housing: Provides temporary housing and a specific package of tailored supportive services to households experiencing homelessness who have previously identified and acknowledged barriers to housing stability. Transitional Housing can be an intermediate step between Emergency Shelter and permanent housing. Transitional Housing is typically longer-term, more service-intensive, and more private than Emergency Shelters, yet typically remains time-limited to stays of three months to three years.

Unsheltered homeless: When a person’s primary nighttime residence is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings, including a car, park, abandoned building, bus, train station, outside, etc. 

NINA Education Committee