Foreclosures Lead to Homelessness for Many

WASHINGTON—June 26, nearly 80% of homeless service
and advocacy agencies report that at least some of
their clients became homeless as a result of a foreclosure,
and one in five estimate that more than 40% of their
clients became homeless because of a foreclosure. These
data are among the results of a nationwide survey of local
homeless providers conducted by national housing and
homeless organizations and released as a joint report by
the National Coalition for the Homeless, the National Low
Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), the National Alliance
to End Homelessness, the National Health Care for the
Homeless Council, and other national organizations.
The report, titled Foreclosure to Homeless 2009: The
Forgotten Victims of the Subprime Crisis, will be released
at a press conference on Friday, June 26. Details are below.
The findings of the report are based on the survey
responses of 178 local homeless service providers from all
regions of the country. Respondents were asked to report
the numbers of their clients who became homeless as a
result of foreclosure, as well as about the coping strategies
of families and the services and protections available to
evicted families at the state and local levels.
The report also examines related factors that contribute
to foreclosures and homelessness, including health care
costs and whether or not the family has access to legal
assistance. In addition, policy recommendations that
would assist both homeowners and renters facing foreclosures
are provided. An appendix lists survey questions and
the names of local service providers that responded.
”The results of this survey make clear that foreclosures
are a major factor in the increase of homelessness in the
United States,” NLIHC President Sheila Crowley said.
Sponsoring organizations of the report are: National
Coalition for the Homeless, the National Health Care for
the Homeless Council, the National Alliance to End
Homelessness, the National Association for the Education
of Homeless Children and Youth, the National Law Center
on Homelessness & Poverty, NLIHC, and the National
Policy and Advocacy Council on Homelessness.