How Surplus Federal Property Can Prevent and End Homelessness

Posted by on March 17, 2014

This Land is Your Land
How Surplus Federal Property Can Prevent and End Homelessness

A report by National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty

Homelessness is a national crisis that has increased in recent years as a result of the housing collapse
and the Great Recession. The growing numbers of homeless people, increasingly families who are
experiencing housing instability for the first time, are putting additional pressure on service providers who
are already overburdened and underfunded.

For example, from 2010 to 2011, the number of people using homeless shelters annually in cities increased
by 2.5 percent to reach 1,036,515 people.

Currently:
•     An estimated 1.5 million to 3.5 million people experience homelessness in a given year.
•     The number of people living “doubled up”, which means residing with friends and family
members for economic reasons, is currently estimated to include over 7 million people.
•     Every year, over 1.6 million children, or one in every 45, are homeless. This represents an
increase of 38% from 2007 to 2010.

Given the growing need, it is especially critical that we make full use of our available resources to address it.
One key, and often overlooked, available resource is unused federal property.

http://www.nlchp.org/This%20Land%20is%20Your%20Land%20Title%20V%20Report.pdf