Extent of Homelessness

Some of the community members suggested that the extent of homelessness, or the number of people who do not live in anything remotely resembling standard (or even sub-standard) housing, is greatly underestimated. Although point-in-time counts can record the number of people found sleeping on the streets and in shelters on a given day, many more community members are hidden away in the woods and in abandoned buildings and excluded from these counts. Some people said that they never or almost never use the local shelters. Others said they would go to a shelter only on the very coldest nights of the year. One man said he never uses shelters but stays in his tent in the woods year-round. Another informant said he believes that there are "thousands" of homeless people living in condemned buildings all over Durham.

Identities Related to Homelessness

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Different Groups Among the Homeless