Housing Distress Index
Before it's homelessness, it's housing distress.
Now you can measure it, county by county.
Open Data - Reproducible methodology - Every U.S. county
We Believe in the power of data
Evidence sits behind every number in the Index
In musical chairs, someone always loses — not because of who they are, but because there aren't enough chairs. If there were enough affordable housing, it would be much harder to fall into homelessness, even for those most at risk.
Homelessness is a shortage problem.
Individual stories explain who. Market conditions explain how many.
Health challenges, job loss, domestic violence — these determine who is most vulnerable. But housing availability, affordability, and policy shape how widespread homelessness becomes in a community.
When housing shortages exist, those with the least economic and social capital fall first.
Where you live determines what you face.
Neighboring counties can experience very different levels of homelessness. Those differences follow local housing conditions — cost of rent, availability, how markets function. Any response has to start from understanding the local system.