Homelessness and Poverty
Washington, DC

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Who is Homeless?

• At least 17,800 people are homeless in Washington, D.C. over the course of a year¹, one of the highest rates in the country. On an average day in 2008, approximately 6,044 persons in the District of Columbia were homeless.² 47% of these individuals are “chronically homeless,” meaning they have been homeless for more than a year.³

• Families represent 30.4% of DC’s homeless population.⁴ The number of homeless families seeking shelter in DC over the course of a year is more than 2,000.⁵

• Among the homeless singles population, men account for 80% of those in shelter, and women 20%.⁶

• There are approximately 2,175 homeless youth in Washington, D.C.⁷ over the course of a year, far more than the 39 shelter beds and just over 40 subsidized apartments available to youth.⁸

• In Washington, D.C, approximately 29% of all homeless people are mentally ill or dually diagnosed, 38% have a history of substance abuse, and 17% are physically disabled.⁹

• 20.3% of single homeless individuals and 26.5% of adults in homeless families in Washington, D.C. are employed.¹⁰

Why are so many homeless?

• Washington, D.C. has the 7th highest poverty rate in the country-- 16.4% as of 2007, and has the highest proportion of people in the U.S. with the lowest income levels.¹¹ 22.7% of all D.C. children under 18 live at or below the poverty line, which is $20,650 for a family of four.¹²

• In the District of Columbia, a worker earning the Minimum Wage ($7.55 per hour) must work approximately 140 hours per week in order to afford a two-bedroom unit at the area's Fair Market rent.¹³

• For the year 2007, the Fair Market Rent (FMR) for an efficiency apartment in Washington, D.C. is $1025 a month. The FMR for a 1-bedroom unit is $1168; 2-bedroom, $1324; 3-bedroom, $1708; and 4-bedroom, $2235.¹⁴

• The unemployment rate in D.C. was 6.7% as of July 2008, higher than the 5.7% national rate.¹⁵ Homeless individuals with no phone or address stand a slim chance competing for jobs in an already tight job market.

• D.C.’s TANF (welfare) amounts were increased in 2006 for the first time in twenty years (1 person--$270; 2--$336; 3--$428; 4--$523; 5--$602; 6--$708; 7--$812; 8--$897; 9--$987), yet the amounts are still far below what’s needed to afford housing and other essentials in D.C. Approximately 15,500 families in DC receive TANF as their primary source of income.¹⁶

• The maximum amount of Food Stamps available in the District is $162/month--1 person; $298--2 persons; and $426--3 persons, and is even less for those who get TANF or other assistance.¹⁷

• 12,500 people in D.C. have SSI disability benefits of only $637 per month as their sole source of income.¹⁸ It takes an average of 2 years after applying to obtain these benefits, and the only source of income for disabled adults in the meantime is Interim Disability Assistance (IDA) of $270/month.

Is there enough shelter?

• There are approximately 2,300 emergency shelter beds for single adults in D.C., and 100 emergency shelter units for families, and those numbers are decreasing as the city moves towards a “Housing First” philosophy.¹⁹

• The wait for emergency family shelter is approximately 6 months, and only 11% of the homeless families that applied in recent years were placed in emergency shelter.²⁰ The closure of DC Village in 2007 resulted in a dramatic reduction in emergency family shelter capacity which has never been replaced.

• The number of apartment-style shelter units for homeless families has declined more than 80% in the past 10 years, leaving only 100 units to accommodate the increasing number of families experiencing homelessness in D.C.²¹

Is there enough housing?

• Washington, DC is the second least affordable jurisdiction in the country in terms of housing costs.²²

• The rental vacancy rate in the D.C. area is only 3.7%, compared to a national average of 5.8%, while monthly rent averages rose 1.8% in 2007.²³

• As of January, 2008, there were more than 30,000 people on the waiting list for Public Housing and approximately 57,000 people on the waiting list for Housing Choice Voucher Program, 22,000 of whom are homeless.²⁴

• The number of public housing units in the city has decreased by more than 2,000 units since 2001, to only 8,100 as of 2008. The availability of affordable units will continue to decrease as over 10,000 housing units in D.C. have affordability requirements which expire by 2010.²⁵

• For households that earn under $10,000, the number of affordable housing units available in D.C. falls short of the need by 13,800 units.²⁶ The District lost 22,500 units of housing with rent under $1,000 between 2000 and 2004,²⁷ and the number of affordable units has continued to decline since then.