Public Costs

Public Costs of Homelessness

It cost $55,000-135,000 a year to leave a homeless person on the street. This is because homeless people are frequent, if involuntary, users of services such as hospitals, ambulances, jails, emergency shelters and food aid. By being homeless a person uses expensive services like a revolving door and has no opportunity to get better.

By contrast, the annual per person cost of a formerly homeless person drops to an average of $37,000 when they live in housing with supports.  Research also indicates that a person’s health and quality of life improves through a variety of indicators.