How many homeless assistance programs are there in the United States?
What kinds of programs are they? • This study estimates that there are about 40,000 homeless assistance programs in the United States, offered at an estimated 21,000 service locations. • Food pantries are the most numerous type of program, estimated to number 9,000 programs. Emergency shelters are next with an estimated 5,700 programs, followed closely by transitional housing programs (4,400), soup kitchens and other distributors of prepared meals (3,500), outreach programs (3,300), and voucher distribution programs (3,100). • Emergency shelters expected 240,000 program contacts, transitional housing programs expected 160,000, permanent housing programs expected 110,00, and voucher distribution programs expected 70,000 program contacts on an average day in February 1996. Expected contacts include those made by both homeless and other people who use services. • 49 percent of all homeless assistance programs are located in central cities, 32 percent in rural areas, and 19 percent in subu
