U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., one of the chairmen of the Congressional Homelessness Caucus, thinks new data can help offer insights on America’s homeless population.
Last week, Hastings and fellow chair U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Tex., hosted a briefing on Capitol Hill focused on the National Alliance to End Homelessness’ (NAEH) Demographic Data Project.
“The Demographic Data Project compiles data analyzed from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) 2018 Point-in-Time Count to study the rates of homelessness among different populations,” the congressman’s office noted.
Joy Moses and Jackie Janosko from NAEH pointed to date to “illustrate the different experiences of homelessness based on gender identity, race, and region.”
Hastings weighed in on the data after the event.
“It was my great pleasure to work with my co-chair, Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, and the National Alliance to End Homelessness, to organize this briefing in order to comprehensively review the findings and implications of the critically important NAEH Demographic Data Project,” said Hastings. “While we have made great strides in understanding the intersectional and overlapping nature of homelessness, there is still immense work ahead to end housing insecurity and homelessness for good.
“This briefing serves as a powerful reminder that homelessness affects a wide array of Americans,” Hastings added. “Whether our neighbors grappling with homelessness are children, part of the LGBTQ+ community, minorities, immigrants, or otherwise – and no matter where they are in our country – no one should be left alone and on the street! I thank my co-chair and the National Alliance for their dedication to ending homelessness and will continue to be an outspoken supporter of this vital work.”
“I was pleased to work with my colleague Congressman Hastings to host this briefing on the essential insights of the Demographic Data Project by the National Alliance to End Homelessness. It is critical that policymakers and advocates have the research we need to develop effective, understanding, and humane policies,” said Johnson. “The testimonies from our witnesses prove how homelessness is an issue that transcends all congressional districts and political boundaries, and it can indefinitely and severely impact the lives of individuals and families in our communities.”
“Homelessness is far too common, but it hits some groups harder than others. The National Alliance to End Homelessness’s Demographic Data Project underscores the need for a data-driven, analytical approach to examining homelessness and our system for responding to it. The project highlights the disparities among people experiencing homelessness through the lenses of gender, gender identity, race, and geographic region: data that is critical to forming more equitable policies surrounding homelessness,” said Nan Roman, the president and CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness.
