How the government counts people who experience homelessness is quite different from how the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness does it. The organization’s numbers are a much higher count than what the city reports.
From the article:
“The federal definition of homelessness is someone that lacks a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence. But what is considered fixed, regular and adequate really depends on who you ask,” said Sam Paler-Ponce, with the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness.
If you ask the organization, the definition should include people living in abandoned buildings or living on someone’s couch or doubling up.
“This is beyond a typical home-sharing situation. It is poor people that cannot afford to live on their own in overcrowded situations,” Paler-Ponce said.
Using an expanded definition of homelessness combined with a year-long count, a new report from the Coalition says in 2024 more than 58,000 people were unhoused, compared to city data that counted 19,000.
