St. Joseph Community Partnership Fund

PolicyLink and PERE 85 An Equity Profile of Orange County 40% 44% 39% 50% 2% 13% 12% 13% 21% 4% 4% 4% 34% 37% 43% 32% Total population Experiencing homelessness Sheltered homelessness Unsheltered homelessness A disproportionate number of African Americans suffer from homelessness The growing affordability crisis is creating unstable housing for many in Orange County. According to 2017 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) data, there were an estimated 4,792 people experiencing homelessness and 1,265 of them were in families with children. People of color make up a majority of the population experiencing homelessness (56 percent) in the county. The Black population is by far the most disproportionately affected by homelessness, making up only 2 percent of the total population in 2017 but 13 percent of the homeless population. A recent 2018 homeless population count in 13 north county cities found 1,837 people experiencing homelessness, a number higher than HUD's estimate. Of the 13 cities, nine had a larger number of homeless people than previously estimated. This report also showed that about 80 percent were unsheltered. 1 Local data also show that housing insecurity is broader than homelessness. For example, in 2016/2017, 5.5 percent of students in Orange County had insecure housing, which can affect academic success and development. 2 People of color make up a majority of people experiencing homelessness Connectedness 83. People Experiencing Homelessness by Race/Ethnicity Compared to Total Population, 2017 Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, COC Racial Equity Analysis Tool, Santa Ana Anaheim Orange County COC 602; U.S. Census Bureau. Note: Homeless population data reflect a point-in-time count during the last week of January 2017 while total population data are for 2017. Non-Hispanic counts were estimated from the original homeless population data by applying the non-Hispanic shares by race alone from the 2017 1-year ACS summary file for the total Orange County population. See the "Data and methods" section for details. 1 Replogle, Jill. 2019. "Homelessness In North Orange County Is Significantly Higher Than Last Official Estimate." LAist, March 6. 2 Orange County Children's Partnership. 2018. The 24th Annual Report on the Conditions of Children in Orange County. Orange County: Orange County Children's Partnership.

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