Whenever I speak about homelessness, I talk about the three main causes of
homelessness...
1) lack of adequate income,
2) lack of affordable housing, and
3) lack of adequate healthcare.

So, I decided to look at Texas to see how we rank in these three areas, compared to other states. All statistics in this article can be found at the U.S. Census Bureau website (www.census.gov),
except where noted.

Lack of Adequate Income
Texas ranks sixth among the rest of the states in number of people living in poverty. 17.6 percent of Texans live in poverty. Doesn’t sound like that much, does it? There is an estimated 22,859,968 people living in Texas. That means that 4,023,354 people in Texas are living below the poverty threshold (the poverty threshold for a one person family is $9,570/year). The poverty threshold is defined as the level of income below which one cannot afford to purchase all the resources one requires to live (food, clothing, shelter).

Lack of Affordable Housing
Texas is tied for fourteen (with Maryland and Rhode Island) for the number of renters that spend more than 30 percent of their income on rent and utilities. 45.3 percent (10,355,565) of Texans pay more than 30 percent of their income for rent and utilities. 32.4 percent (7,406,629) of home owners in Texas (mortgagers) pay more than 30 percent of their income for housing costs. We rank number 20 (tied with Michigan and Wisconsin) in owner-occupied housing costs. The National Low Income Housing Coalition’s (www.nlihc.org) “Out of Reach” study finds that nowhere in the United States can a person working 40 hours per week at minimum wage afford the fair market rent for a one-bedroom apartment.

Lack of Adequate Healthcare
We’re number ONE. No, that is not a good thing. 24.6 percent (5,623,552) of Texans do not have healthcare insurance. Without healthcare insurance, people of lower and middle income tend to not get preventive medical care and many end up hospitalized with conditions that could easily be prevented or treated early. When people don’t have health insurance, including mental health treatment and substance abuse treatment, they tend to use the emergency room for routine health care, driving up the costs for everyone.

If we want to eliminate homelessness, it is imperative that we, as advocates for persons living without a home, Speak Out, not only to our elected officials, but to our faith communities, civic organizations, friends, neighbors and families.