More than one-third of the 580,000 homeless people in the United States are unsheltered. This population includes those who sleep on the street, in cars, in abandoned buildings, and in other places not intended for human housing. Some unsheltered homeless individuals choose to forego sleeping in a shelter, perhaps out of concern for their safety or because their work prevents them from abiding by a shelter’s curfew. Others, meanwhile, are forced to sleep in public spaces because of insufficient shelter capacity.
Volume 169Issue 6 2021 Comment