• Travalaaaaaaanche!@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    “about one-third of the country’s homeless population, totaling more than 170,000 people”
    Whaaaat? They’re saying that there is only about 500,000 homeless people in the US. That seems like a really low estimate.

    • darkdemize@sh.itjust.works
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      1 year ago

      There was a John Oliver segment discussing the homeless, and the method for counting them was mentioned. Basically, they pick 1 night a year and count people occupying a bed in a shelter. This obviously discounts a huge number of the homeless population, which is thought to be as much as 10 times the shelter count.

      • eek2121@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Just strolling through midtown in Atlanta, GA makes me believe that.

        The counts definitely aren’t accurate. Furthermore, some folks may technically be homeless, but couch surfing, sleeping in their vehicles, etc.

    • Neuromancer@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      I travel a lot for work. Outside of Oregon, California and other large cities I rarely see homeless people.

      I think estimate is fairly accurate. Now if you take people living in their vans, not by choice, that number may be higher.