The NH Coalition to End Homelessness (NHCEH) recently released its State of Homelessness in NH Report. An analysis of statewide indexes and trends in homelessness from 2015 to 2017 was included in the sixth annual report, which showed that homelessness in the Granite State rose by 11 percent in 2017. This is in part due to increasing rents in conjunction with extremely low vacancy rates, which place low income renters in tenuous positions to find affordable housing.
While there was an increase in the overall number of people experiencing homelessness over the past year, this number is still lower than it was in 2015. Of the 1,456 individuals reported as experiencing homelessness, approximately 53 percent were single adults and 47 percent were persons in families with children.
The report also reveals the steady increase in the number of homeless students as well as the number of unaccompanied youth enrolled in school. During the 2016-2017 school year, there were a reported 365 unaccompanied homeless students, up from 251 in 2015-2016. Of the 365 students, 39 were living unsheltered while attending school.
“The increase in the numbers of children and families experiencing homelessness is concerning,” says Cathy Kuhn, director of the NHCEH. “Reversing this growth will require continued commitment and investment in the proven strategies that we know are successful in quickly rehousing those who become homeless.”
The NHCEH is a nonprofit organization with the purpose of eliminating the causes of homelessness through research, education, and advocacy.
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