Section I – Executive Summary

Homelessness has its roots in the persistent poverty and disparities in development and access to opportunity in South Carolina. Addressing homelessness is a major challenge for many communities and without information about the best way to address the problem; it will continue to impact the lives of those who experience homelessness and the communities that they live in. This report attempts to further the understanding of homelessness in the state of South Carolina; to provide estimates on the extent of homelessness as well as information on various sub-populations of the homeless population – the faces of homelessness; and to inform planning at the State and local level including for agencies and organizations that serve people who are homeless. Finally, the report will also be used to raise public awareness about the important issue of homelessness in our State.

Every two years, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires housing and service providers who participate in the Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Program to complete a point in time count of the people who are homeless in their community. The count must be conducted during the last two weeks of January.

However, many providers and researchers believe that HUD’s definition is not broad enough to fully capture the homeless population. To better understand those individuals in our state who are homeless, many believe that it is also important to include people who are precariously or inadequately housed, paying too much for housing or otherwise at risk of losing their housing. Therefore, this report does not offer an exact count of individuals who are homeless – instead it provides multiple estimates. In addition, this report offers information on key sub-populations of people who are homeless.

The 2007 Homeless Count found a total of 6,759 homeless individuals on January 25th in South Carolina. Unfortunately, these results should not be compared to the results of the 2005 Homeless Count. The methodologies used in the 2007 Count to the 2005 are different – care must be taken in any comparisons. While it is thought that the 2007 Homeless Count was a "better" count (better organization, better methodologies, etc) – in truth – it is extremely difficult to know for a certainty. Variables as simple as the weather on the actual night of the count or the number of volunteers who actually come to help can impact the count. Therefore it is important to think of the homeless count as more of a "moving target" - literally and figuratively.

Those 6,759 individuals represent .16% of the total population in the state and 1.1% of the persons below poverty. Of the 6,759 individuals who were found homeless, 5,594 were identified as homeless using HUD’s strict definition (over 80%) leaving 1,165 identified as homeless through a broader definition. Over 50% of the homeless population was found in only five counties: Greenville, Richland, Horry, Georgetown, and Charleston – all who were considered to have a high level of effort in conducting their homeless count. In addition, Greenville, Richland, and Charleston are highly urban. While Horry and Georgetown are perhaps not as urban as Greenville, Richland, or Charleston – Horry and Georgetown counties represent a unique part of South Carolina’s geography – the coast with high transitional populations. Over 75% of the homeless population were in 11 counties (out of the 46 total counties in SC) – again all with a moderate to high level of effort with the exception of Clarendon. These remaining counties were Greenwood, York, Lancaster, Clarendon, Anderson, and Spartanburg.

The faces of homelessness are often different from the perceptions by the general public. While over 80% (5,430) were adults close to 20% (1,329) were children (ages less than 18 years of age). Over one third (31%) of the homeless population were in families with dependent children. Statistics on other key sub-populations include the following:

Please note: individuals may fall into more than one category.

Given the episodic and unpredictable nature of homelessness, no single methodology can provide a precise count. Therefore it is essential to consider multiple sources of information about the issue in order to inform our understanding of homelessness in South Carolina. Using common formulas, two other point-in-time estimates were constructed as well as two annualized estimates. These estimates are provided along with the methodologies used to derive them in the data analysis section.

As with any major effort, there were a number of lessons learned during the Homeless Count of 2007. Similar to the Homeless Count of 2005, the leadership of the South Carolina Council on Homelessness, the State Homeless Coalition and the Local Continua of Care will review them and attempt to implement recommendations to the extent possible with limited resources. A summary of some of the recommendations follows:

1. Regarding the use of HMIS information:
  a. Standardizing data extracts from HMIS,
  b. Allow ORS to receive quarterly extracts;
  c. Improve data quality; Standardize data definitions;
  d. Reach a consensus on the management and/or use of the domestic violence data;
  e. Stage a "dry run" using HMIS day prior to the 2009 Count to identify data issues.

2. Review the use of volunteers:
  a. Explore the possibility of using experienced interviewers;
  b. If volunteers are used, mandate training and explore using a core of volunteers for longer periods of time.

3. Review other methodologies to fulfill the HUD mandate for a Homeless Count:
  a. Is it possible to use estimation for a sample of counties;
  b. Is it possible to use primarily HMIS data for the count?

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