Low Country Coalition for the Homeless
2005 Homeless Count
This report is made possible by the hundreds of volunteers and staff working year-round on homelessness issues and working specifically, on January 27, 2005 when the first ever statewide count of the homeless was conducted.
The purpose of this report is to present actual count numbers for the Low Country Coalition in an easy to use format. The Low Country Homeless Coalition includes the following South Carolina Counties: Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Hampton and Jasper. The numbers used in this report are from a statewide web-based application and site developed by David King, a consultant with a number of regional coalitions. It is available at http://tchc-web.org/count.
Sheltered and Unsheltered* By Gender
| Male | Female | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheltered | 264 (57%) | 198 (43%) | 462 (67%) |
| Unsheltered | 169 (75%) | 57 (25%) | 226 (33%) |
| Total | 433 (63%) | 255 (37%) | 688 (100%) |
*These numbers reflect only the homeless as defined by HUD. Any persons living with friends of relatives (known as doubling up) are not reflected in this count. Also not included are those persons in permanent shelters.
Of the 6,481 homeless documented in South Carolina on the Count Day, more than one- third (2,068) completed a Form-1 Individual Survey, often with the aid of a volunteer. The following information was derived from that data within the Coalition.
The numbers and percentages following are based on those items which were answered. Please note that some participants did not answer all items, or they chose 'Don't know' or 'Refuse to answer' options. Inclusion or exclusion of various responses, along with rounding, may account for small differences between this report and other reports.
Where indicated, n is the number that responded to the question and did not select 'Don't know' or 'Refuse'.
Percent of surveys which took place at a homeless shelter or facility: 95% (n=380)
1) Length of time at current location:
| This year: | 23% |
|---|---|
| 6 months: | 48% |
| 12 months: | 14% |
| 2 years: | 7% |
| 3 or more years: | 7% |
2) Where did you stay before here? (n=380, 3.2% Don't Know or Refused)
| Friend/Family: | 40% |
|---|---|
| Own Home: | 18% |
| Other Shelter: | 15% |
| Street: | 8% |
| Other: | 9% |
| Prison/Jail/Correctional: | 3% |
| Hospital or Other Treatment: | 5% |
| Car: | 2% |
| Military: | 0% |
| Don't Know, Blank or Refused: | 2% |
3) How long were you in this circumstance? (n=380, 4% Don't Know or Refused)
| Weeks: | 18% |
|---|---|
| Months: | 49% |
| About a Year: | 14% |
| More Than a Year: | 19% |
3a) County where first homeless? (n=380, 23% Blank)
| Charleston | 68% |
|---|---|
| Berkeley | 6% |
| Dorchester | 5% |
| Beaufort | 4% |
| Horry | 3% |
| Not in South Carolina | 5% |
4) What caused you to leave your former housing situation? (Can choose more than 1, n=1,964)
| Unable to afford rent/mortgage | 18% |
|---|---|
| Loss of job/hours cut | 14% |
| Eviction | 8% |
| Home destroyed | 1% |
| Drinking or drug use problem | 17% |
| Being abused | 4% |
| Substandard housing | 3% |
| Left home/ran away | 2% |
| Breakup with spouse/significant other | 13% |
| Other (see 4a) | 19% |
Note: Items 4 and 4a are based on statewide responses.
4a) Reason leaving former housing situation. This open ended question led to 355 responses, such as:
Prison/Jail (n=57),
Health problems/work related injury (n=31),
Family/domestic violence (n=24),
Death in family (n=7),
Couldn't pay bills,
Substandard housing,
No transportation.
Note: Items 4 and 4a are based on statewide responses.
5) Have you been homeless 4 or more times in the past 3 years? (n=380, 3% Don't Know or Refused)
Yes: 22%
No: 78%
6) How many times have you been homeless during your lifetime? (n=380, 3% No Answer/Don't Know/Refused)
| One Time | 50% |
|---|---|
| Two Times | 22% |
| Three Times | 8% |
| Four Times | 8% |
| Five Times | 5% |
| Six Times | 2% |
| Seven Times | 5% |
| Average=2.2 (n=343) | |
7) Age (3% Don't Know or Refused)
| 18-28 | 16% |
|---|---|
| 29-39 | 19% |
| 40-50 | 35% |
| 51-64 | 28% |
| 65+ | 2% |
8) State or country where you were born? (10% Don't Know or Refused)
| South Carolina | 53% |
|---|---|
| New York | 9% |
| Not USA | 5% |
| North Carolina | 5% |
| Georgia | 3% |
| Pennsylvania | 3% |
9) South Carolina county born in? (50% Don't Know or Refused)
| Charleston | 65% |
|---|---|
| Beaufort | 4% |
| Berkeley | 3% |
| Colleton | 3% |
10) In school? (n=380, 2% Don't Know or Refused)
Yes: 7%
No: 93%
11) Highest grade finished in school. (n=256)
| 9th | 9% |
|---|---|
| 10th | 14% |
| 11th | 16% |
| 12th | 52% |
| Greater than 12th | 23% |
12) Gender (n=380, 2% Don't Know or Refused)
Male: 68%
Female: 32%
13) Race (n=380, 3% Don't Know or Refused)
| African American | 65% |
|---|---|
| White | 31% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 4% |
14) Hispanic, Latino or Chicano origin (n=380, 4% Don't Know or Refused)
Yes: 4%
No: 96%
15) Current marital status: (n=380, 4% Don't Know or Refused)
| Single | 55% |
|---|---|
| Widowed | 3% |
| Divorced | 17% |
| Married | 8% |
| Unmarried But With Mate | 2% |
| Separated | 14% |
16) Here with other family members? (n=380, 3% Don't Know or Refused)
Yes: 19%
No: 80%
16a) If yes, how many?
1 family member: 8%
2 family members: 1%
3 or more family members: 0%
17) Veteran? (n=380, 3% Don't Know or Refused)
Yes: 28%
No: 72%
18) In this situation due to: (n=380)
| Violence (5% Don't Know or Refused) | 14% |
|---|---|
| Danger (5% Don't Know or Refused) | 7% |
| Safety (2% Don't Know or Refused) | 12% |
19) Do you have a mental, physical or other impairment that limits you? (2% Don't Know or Refused)
Yes: 32%
20) Ever received care because of nervousness, depression, or mental health problems? (2% Don't Know or Refused)
Yes: 31%
21) Ever treated for alcohol or drug problem? (2% Don't Know or Refused)
Yes: 31%
22) Ever told by a professional that you are HIV positive or have AIDS? (3% Don't Know or Refused)
Yes: 3%
This report was developed for the South Carolina Department of Mental Health, Housing and Homeless Program, by the SCDMH/ Institute for Behavioral Services. For any questions regarding the content of this report, please contact A. Maletic at amm02@scdmh.org, 803-898-1148.