More than 166,000 people are homeless in Chicago during a year's time according to an estimate by the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. As many as 15,000 people are homeless on any given night in Chicago.

In the 125 years since Pacific Garden Mission was begun, the face of the homeless population has certainly changed. Today, forty-eight percent of the homeless are single men, 38 percent of the homeless are families, 14 percent are single women, and 4 percent are young people. African-Americans make up 77 percent of Chicago’s homeless population, 12 percent are white, and 9 percent are Latino.

As many as 20 percent of homeless people work full or part time, but still cannot afford to pay rent. A worker in Chicago has to earn a wage of $17.13 an hour at 40 hours a week to afford the fair-market rent for a two-bedroom apartment. Families with children are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population.

Twenty-three percent of the homeless are veterans. More veterans are homeless today than the number of U.S. soldiers who died in Vietnam.

What are the primary causes of homelessness in Chicago? There is a real lack of affordable housing. In Chicago, there is a deficit of 153,000 apartment units affordable to families earning less than $20,000 per year. Over 37 percent of renter households pay more than 30 percent of their income for rent. Over 12 percent pay more than half of their income for rent. The waiting period for public housing is over five years and the waiting period for Section 8 certificates is ten years.

Another cause of homelessness is the lack of decent jobs or sufficient income. Chicago lost 340,000 manufacturing jobs between 1971 and 1991. The vast majority of these jobs paid living wages, unlike most service sector jobs. A family of four must make $7.57 per hour to bring its income up to the federal poverty level. However, a family of four living in Chicago must make $22.63 to earn an annual income of $47,076 to meet a basic budget including rent, transportation, and childcare. For every job that pays a living wage, 114 people seek that job.

Homelessness can also be caused by a lack of adequate health services. A national study indicates that 13 percent of homeless individuals became homeless due to health problems. In Chicago, the rate of tuberculosis infection is three times higher among the homeless than among the general population. Ten percent of homeless people in Chicago are HIV positive. Thirty percent of the homeless suffer from varying degrees of mental illness. Only five to seven percent of homeless people with mental illness need to be institutionalized. As many as 95 percent could live in community settings if the proper supportive housing were available.

Sin has a lot to do with homelessness—34 percent of homeless adults have a substance abuse problem. Physical and sexual abuse, loss of a parent to crime and prison, even laziness—all contribute to homelessness. An estimated 75 percent of the men in prison come from broken homes. The breakdown of the family because of sexual sin, divorce, and abandonment of the family by the male is a primary cause for the filling of homeless shelters.

The Homeless Outreach at Pacific Garden Mission meets the immediate physical needs: food, clothing, and a comfortable and safe place to sleep. Counseling is provided to help deal with the effects of physical abuse, broken relationships, and substance abuse. Most importantly, we seek to meet each individual's spiritual need: forgiveness of sin and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

For more information on the Homeless Outreach of Pacific Garden Mission, please visit our Men's Division and Women and Children's Ministry pages.