Homelessness isn’t always why you think.

Of the 580,000+ Americans experiencing homelessness each night, over 60% ²⁰ sleep in shelters. But street homelessness is the most visible type, and as a result it tends to be the center of conversation and the focus of crisis management and policy debate. Many cities have laws against sleeping in public places, forcing unsheltered people to move their belongings frequently, and often sending them to live in locations not suitable for human habitation.

In New York, more than 70,000 people sleep in shelters ⁵ each night, compared to an estimated 3,500 individuals ¹² experiencing homelessness on the street. But shelters are not always an option—a person may be forced to sleep on the street due to shelter overcrowding, rules and regulations around curfews and personal belongings, traumatic experiences, or having to abandon a pet in order to gain entry.

What Can Help?

More affordable housing, eviction prevention, renters rights education, and access to legal services

See what Aint Afraid has to say about experiencing homelessness.