Local rental market dynamics and homelessness rates among unaccompanied youths, single adults, and people in families

Abstract

This study examines how local rental market factors differentially influence community-level homelessness rates among unaccompanied youths, single adults, and people in families with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s point-in-time estimates in January 2020, right before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States. The results from seemingly unrelated regressions for 270 metropolitan Continua of Care suggest that higher community-level rental vacancy rates were associated with lower homelessness rates among people in families but not among single adults and unaccompanied youths. Further, higher community-level crowded rates in rental units were associated with higher homelessness rates among single adults and unaccompanied youths but not among people in families. These findings suggest the differential association between rental market dynamics and homelessness among the homeless subgroups should inform subgroup-specific policy interventions and investment strategies.