Homelessness is a social and economic issue that many communities struggle to address because of the various factors that play a role in whether someone experiences it or not. There are many reasons why people think someone might become homeless, some believe its associated to individual factors such as experiencing a mental illness or disorder, the mismanagement of money, using substances, or having a disability. Others think homelessness is related more to environmental and structural factors such as a community’s supply of housing, cost of housing, vacancy rates, zoning laws and regulations, and physical space to expand and build more housing.

Researchers Gregg Colburn and Clayton Page Aldern investigated  both perspectives in their book Homelessness is a Housing Problem to identify what factors offer a stronger explanation for why we see different rates of homelessness between communities. In their research, they compared the prevalence of mental illness, substance use, poverty, in addition to types of weather (the myth being that warmer weather attracts homeless individuals) and generosity of public assistance between US regions and metropolitan areas to see if there was a correlation between these factors and the prevalence of homelessness. What they discovered was that the conventional beliefs held around homelessness offered very little explanation for why some communities have higher rates of homelessness.

Using mental illness as an example, if the belief  that mental illness was associated with homelessness was true, it would make sense to observe higher rates of homelessness in regions where the prevalence of mental illness was also high. They tested this belief by comparing state-level measurements of mental illness to state-level per capita rates of homelessness and found there is no convincing relationship between homelessness and serious mental illness. States with higher rates of serious mental illness such as Utah, Kentucky, Alabama, Wisconsin, Delaware, and West Virginia showed relatively modest levels of homelessness. Where places like Hawaii that has the highest rate of homelessness per capita also has one of the lowest rates of serious mental illness in the country. Furthermore, the modest relationship they observed actually suggests the opposite conclusion that one might come to that being that homelessness rates are higher where serious mental illness are lower. Now their findings do not suggest that mental illness doesn’t contribute to homelessness at an individual level, but rather it indicates that higher rates of homelessness in states can’t be attributed to a greater proportion of people with mental illnesses living in those areas (Gregg Colburn & Clayton Page Aldern, 2022).

Gregg Colburn and Clayton Page Aldern’s research also extended into investigating the relationship between homelessness and environmental and structural factors like the supply of units available, housing costs, vacancy rates, laws and regulations, and the physical boundaries a community can grow to. Their examination of these community wide factors showed more convincing relationships to homelessness rates, especially when talking about rent levels and vacancy rates. In both city and county geographies, a strong positive association was found between rent levels and homelessness rates. Meaning if a community had a higher median rent they were more likely to also have higher rates of homelessness. Not only this, but their research reinforced the idea that rent levels and vacancy rates are not independent of each other and essentially operate like levers to one another. When vacancy rates are low and housing options are limited to people, rents tend to be higher in the private market. Due to this phenomenon between vacancy rates and rental levels, vacancy rates were also found to be associated with homelessness rates. When a region or community had plenty of housing units available and had a higher vacancy rate, they were more likely to have also have lower rates of homelessness rates (Gregg Colburn & Clayton Page Aldern, 2022).

It is important to note that neither rent levels or vacancy rates should be ranked against one another when discussing their relative impact on homelessness rates. They work in conjunction with one another and both are equally important to consider in conversations and initiatives focused on reducing homelessness. Figure 1 is a graph from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) 2022 Comprehensive Housing Market Analysis of Des Moines-West Des Moines that shows the interconnectedness of rent levels and vacancy rates in Central Iowa. As demonstrated, when vacancy rates decrease and housing options are limited the average monthly rent level increases. 

To learn more about the myths around homelessness and what factors are related it, check out Gregg Colburn and Clayton Page Aldern’s book Homelessness is a Housing Problem at your local library or book store.

In Polk County, Homeward serves as the Continuum of Care (CoC) organization that facilitates the community’s response to homelessness. As the CoC lead organization they are responsible for:

• Distributing funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and other sources across the county
• Coordinating resources and services
• Identifying growing needs within the homelessness population and the homelessness response system
• Disseminating data and best practices related to homelessness

In addition, each year they conduct a federally madated annual count of sheltered and unsheltered people to get a snapshot of how many people are homeless in a single night. This annual count is often done during the last week of January and mobilizes volunteers to measure the number of people who are unsheltered and sheltered that are living within emergency shelters, transitional housing, and Safe Havens. The PIT count does not include the number of people in doubled-up living situations (such as temporarily living with a friend or family member), those who are couch surfing, and also those who are in some institutions such as hospitals, jails, or nursing homes. Each CoC can determine their own counting procedures using guidelines issued by HUD, but due to the hidden nature of being unhoused, it can be extremely challenging to get an accurate count of how many people are experiencing homelessness in a given night. Despite not counting some populations that experience severe housing instability, the PIT count is crucial for addressing homelessness and offers communities and decision makers a benchmark for what resources and services are needed.

The 2024 Polk County PIT count revealed that 715 individuals experienced homelessness on any given night – an 11% increase from 20243 and a new record high. Furthermore during 2024, nearly 8,000 people experienced homelessness in Polk County (Homeward, 2024). At the time, these numbers demonstrated that the homelessness response system was operating near full capacity with almost 1,394 total units being occupied. Recent data from Homeward shows that rates of homelessness aren’t slowing down from previous years and that the homelessness response system is yet again functioning at near full capacity. During the first three months of 2025 (1/1/25 – 3/31/25) 1,464 people experienced homelessness (served in street outreach, emergency shelter, Safe Haven, or Transitional Housing) of these individuals (Homeward Polk County Data Dashboard, n.d):

• A little over half (793) were enrolled into one of the homelessness response programs during the reporting period
• 421 were new to literal homelessness
• 337 were between the ages 35 -44 years old
• 312 were under the age of 25 years old

In response to the growing concern and need around homelessness, Homeward listened to over 250 voices from community stakeholders and developed a strategic plan called “The Blueprint to Address Homelessness“(aka “The Blueprint”) to give a framework for how the community can reduce homelessness over the next five years (2025-2029). The Blueprint identifies 7 strategic improvement focus areas that require coordinated efforts from homelessness systems service providers, business leaders, elected officials, and other community stakeholders. Those strategic improvement focus areas are listed as such:

1. Reduce Inflow
2. Improve Crisis Response Capacity
3. End Unsheltered Homelessness
4. Accelerate Exits from Homelessness to Stable Housing
5. Strengthen Connections to Adjacent Systems
6. Actively Manage the System for Results
7. Expand Affordable Housing Options

Each focus area identifies various strategies to be implemented along with who is the primary lead, supporting organizations, measurements of improvement, and the resource investment needed. One of the main takeaways from “The Blueprint” is that in order to address homelessness there needs to be investment and collaboration across organizations and sectors. Homelessness is too large of an issue for any one organization to tackle alone. It is something that impacts everyone living in a community, regardless if someone has first hand experience or not. Only through collaboration and coordination around the common goal of reducing homelessness, can it become a rare and short lived event in someone’s life.  

To read the full “Blueprint to Address Homelessness in Polk County” report or its “Executive Summary” please use the buttons below!