Q&A of the Day – How Florida’s Homeless Rate Compares to Other States
Each day I feature a listener question sent by one of these methods.
Email: brianmudd@iheartmedia.com
Social: @brianmuddradio
iHeartRadio: Use the Talkback feature – the microphone button on our station’s page in the iHeart app.
Today’s Entry: Today’s topic was submitted via Talkback. A listener inquired about how many homeless people migrate to Florida due to the weather and to panhandle.
Bottom Line: Today’s topic is on the back of the recent Q&A – What to Do about Florida’s Panhandling Program? It’s an interesting angle because it certainly seems logical that Florida’s climate is much more conducive to those who choose a path of homelessness and panhandling year-round. So, is part of our ever-growing panhandling problem related to homeless migration to our communities? It's likely to be the case with at least some homeless individuals and panhandlers in our community but is it the driving force behind what we’re seeing?
Numerous organizations track homelessness across states, though the most credible analysis is provided by an annual HUD study of homelessness which is provided to Congress. This study not only provides state-by-state homeless population totals but allows us to track trends over time. The most recent study is 2022’s Homeless Assessment. The annual study provided a mixed bag of news. There were three areas where we made progress as a country, however along with the rising cost of living, overall homelessness did slightly increase last year. First the good news. Here are the areas where we made progress.
- Homeless families (those with children): -6.1%
- Veteran homelessness: -11.1%
- Unaccompanied minors: -12%
And for the not good news:
- Adult individuals: +3.1%
- Chronic Homelessness (those with a disability who’ve been homeless for over a year): +15.6%
Overall homelessness rose by 0.3% last year with an estimated 577,000 homeless Americans. With that said there’s one state that stands out above the rest driving the numbers and it’s not Florida. It’s California. California's homeless population ended last year at a total of 171,521 people. Some quick math shows that Cali’s homeless population is over 30% of the country’s total. California is the most populous state but it still only accounts for 11.8% of the national population. In other words, California’s rate of homelessness is 2.5 times higher than the national average. Much like Florida, California offers locations with year-round comfort for those who’ve opted for homelessness. Perhaps that factors in? Let’s compare Florida’s homeless rate.
Florida’s homeless population at the end of last year was third highest in the country with 25,959 homeless people. That’s only 4.5% of the homeless population. That’s significant because Florida accounts for 6.7% of the country’s population. In other words, Florida’s homeless rate is 33% lower than the national average when adjusted for population. This would appear to blow up the notion that climate is the most prominent factor in determining where homeless people may choose to settle. That’s further evidenced by the state with the 2nd highest homeless population...New York. New York is the 4th most populous state, however they have the 2nd highest homeless population accounting for 12.9% of the national homeless population while accounting for a little less than 6% of the national population. Similar to California, New York’s homeless rate is 2.2 times higher than the national average. What this illustrates is that it’s not climate but state and local policies which are the biggest influences on homeless populations. Notably, exiting the pandemic, California, New York, Oregon and Washington had the most permissive policies in place in the country regarding homelessness. The message has clearly been received. Beyond the California and New York examples, Washington state’s total homeless population is nearly identical to Florida’s - only Washington’s total population is only a little more than a third of Florida’s. It’s evident public policy, not geography are the drivers. As all of this relates to panhandling...
Studies have shown that only 6% to 8% of homeless people panhandle. What that equates to in Florida is approximately 1,550 to 2,075 homeless panhandlers statewide. Incidentally, 18% of panhandlers aren’t homeless and that’s been the fastest growing segment of panhandling since the federal court system struck down Florida’s panhandling law in 2020. Opportunists abound.