Nearly one-third of nation's homeless population lives in California, new research shows

Nearly one third of all people who are unhoused in the United States live in the Golden State, according to a new study released Tuesday.

The California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness also reveals 50% of all unsheltered people in the country – who may or may not have a car to sleep in – live in California. Almost 90% reported that the cost of housing was the main reason they could not escape homelessness.

"The results of the study confirm that far too many Californians experience homelessness because they cannot afford housing," wrote Margot Kushel, a principal investigator of the study and director at the University of California, San Francisco's Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative.

The study encompasses findings from nearly 3,200 surveys and 365 in depth interviews with adults experiencing homelessness across the state between October 2021 and November 2022. It is the "largest representative study of homelessness in the United States since the mid-1990s," according to the study, which was requested by California Governor Gavin Newsom's administration, Fortune reported.

More than one million people experience homelessness in the United States in a given year and many more are at risk of losing their homes, according to the Biden administration. Florida, New York and Washington also had high rates of homelessness last year, the Annual Homeless Assessment Report shows. The report provides data and analysis for funding decisions by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

What does the study reveal?

The study found that many people cannot afford homes in the state. Nearly all people surveyed said they "face barriers," like poor credit history, discrimination, health challenges or prior evictions, when trying to rent or buy a home. California is experiencing a housing shortage crisis, and the states is home to some of the most unaffordable places to live in the country.

The research shows "the incalculable personal costs of homelessness," Kushel wrote in the release.

California's homeless population is growing older in age with the median age of participants being 47-years-old, the new research shows, with nearly half of the state's homeless population being 50-years-old or older. An overrepresented majority are Latino (35%), Black (26%) and Native American (12%).

A vast majority of people surveyed were from or last housed in California. And about 20% of the unhoused people surveyed came straight from institutions.

Two-thirds of all participants surveyed reported struggling with mental health issues at the time they were surveyed. And 72% had experienced some type of physical violence in their lifetime, the findings show.

Many of the unhoused people the institute surveyed are looking for jobs. "Participants were disconnected from the job market and services, but almost half were looking for work," a news release attached to the study reads.

Biden administration: Unveils initiative to combat homelessness in 5 US cities, California

To combat the growing housing needs, the group is recommending six policy changes, including:

• Increasing "access to housing affordable to extremely low-income households;"

• Expanding "targeted homelessness prevention, such as financial supports and legal assistance;"

• Providing "robust supports to match the behavioral health needs of the population;"

• Upping "household incomes through evidence-based employment supports;"

• Growing "outreach and service delivery to people experiencing unsheltered homelessness;" and

• Embedding "a racial equity approach in all aspects of homeless system service delivery."

In an attempt to reduce homelessness nationwide by 25% by January 2025, the Biden administration last month unveiled an initiative called "ALL INside" to help unhoused people in cities with high homeless populations access federal services. Those cities include Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Phoenix and Seattle.

Contact Kayla Jimenez at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @kaylajjimenez.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: California accounts for nearly one-third of the nation's homeless people