Recent statistics reported in Forbes found that 2024 saw more Americans living on the streets and in their cars than in 2023, according to the 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report. Almost 772,000 homeless Americans represented an increase of 18%, impacting families with children and those aged 55 and older most.
In Potter County alone, there are more than 1,100 homeless adults and 1,800 homeless children, and the average age of the homeless population in our community is 11 years old, according to census data.
Also according to the Amarillo Housing First (AHF) website, the waitlist for low-income, permanent housing assistance often exceeds five years, and there is not sufficient temporary or transitional shelter available to accommodate the need.
And that's where our community comes in.
This week, Virginia Trice of AHF stopped by HPPR Studios in Amarillo during High Plains Morning to share some of the grim statistics facing the Texas Panhandle's current situation of increased housing insecurity among families, veterans, those struggling with addiction, and the elderly. Click the link at the top of this page for the full interview.
How can you help? Click here for a link on the many ways you can help these vulnerable populations in our community. They could use help with everything from staffing the warming station to donations of food, hygiene products, and clothing -- and there's always monetary donations needed to address specific problems as they arise. AHF is located at 200 S Tyler St., Ste. 1A, Amarillo TX 79101. You can reach them by calling 806.414.2243. Plus, follow them on Facebook for real-time updates on needs.
What is Housing First? (From their website): Housing First is a recovery-oriented approach to ending homelessness that centers on quickly moving people experiencing homelessness into independent and permanent housing and then providing additional supports and services as needed. It is an approach first popularized by Sam Tsemberis and Pathways to Housing in New York in the 1990s and is a results proven method that has been adopted by states and municipalities across the country and around the world. Housing First enables access to permanent housing without prerequisites or conditions beyond those of a typical renter. Supportive services are offered but participation is not required as services have been found to be more effective when a person chooses to engage.
More statistics from the January 2025 Forbes article: Nearly all populations reached record levels of homelessness, with the highest marked increases seen among people in families with children, up 39% from the previous year. Close to 150,000 children under the age of 18 experienced homelessness on a single night in 2024, reflecting a 33 percent increase (or 32,618 more children) over 2023. One in every five people experiencing homelessness was aged 55 or older, with more than 104,000 people experiencing homelessness between the ages of 55 and 64. Another 42,150 people were 65 or older The report noted that “nearly half of adults aged 55 or older (46%) were experiencing unsheltered homelessness in places not meant for human habitation.”
