"Cities, suburban communities, and rural areas across the United
States have seen in recent years the rise of groups of people
experiencing unsheltered homelessness together. The term encampment is
widely used by journalists and researchers to describe these groups, but
other terms include tent cities,homeless settlements, and homeless
camps. Although their existence is not unprecedented, media reports
suggest that the number of encampments has increased sharply in recent
years (National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, 2017).
"People experiencing unsheltered homelessness may perceive staying in an encampment as a safer option than staying on their own in an unsheltered location or in an emergency shelter; however, encampments can create both real and perceived challenges for the people who stay in them as well as for neighbors and the broader community. As community leaders seek to develop and deploy a response, they often are called on to balance multiple, sometimes competing priorities and demands from a diverse group of stakeholders, including community residents, business owners, public health and safety officials, and advocates for disadvantaged populations - as well as the people living in the encampments."
A recent paper issued by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Policy Development and Research was designed to document what is known about homeless encampments as of late 2018, based on a review of the literature produced thus far by academic and research institutions and public agencies, supplemented by interviews with key informants. This paper is part of a larger research study sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research. The study's goal is "to contribute to our understanding of homelessness, including the characteristics of homeless encampments and the people who stay in them, as well as local ideas about how to address encampments and their associated costs."
To access a copy of the complete report, please visit:
US HUD: Office of Policy Development and Research: Understanding Encampments of People Experiencing Homelessness and Community Responses, Emerging Evidence as of Late 2018 (January 2019)
"People experiencing unsheltered homelessness may perceive staying in an encampment as a safer option than staying on their own in an unsheltered location or in an emergency shelter; however, encampments can create both real and perceived challenges for the people who stay in them as well as for neighbors and the broader community. As community leaders seek to develop and deploy a response, they often are called on to balance multiple, sometimes competing priorities and demands from a diverse group of stakeholders, including community residents, business owners, public health and safety officials, and advocates for disadvantaged populations - as well as the people living in the encampments."
A recent paper issued by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Policy Development and Research was designed to document what is known about homeless encampments as of late 2018, based on a review of the literature produced thus far by academic and research institutions and public agencies, supplemented by interviews with key informants. This paper is part of a larger research study sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research. The study's goal is "to contribute to our understanding of homelessness, including the characteristics of homeless encampments and the people who stay in them, as well as local ideas about how to address encampments and their associated costs."
To access a copy of the complete report, please visit:
US HUD: Office of Policy Development and Research: Understanding Encampments of People Experiencing Homelessness and Community Responses, Emerging Evidence as of Late 2018 (January 2019)
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