Information about Mental Illness & Homelessness
 

Metro Atlanta’s Homeless - How Many Are There?

According to “The 2003 Metro Atlanta Tri-Jurisdictional Collaborative Homeless Census and Survey” there were, on a single night in March 2003, 6956 homeless people in metro Atlanta.

All percents shown below are percents of the 6956 total homeless count unless specified otherwise.

29% in shelter
31% in streets (includes those in jail or prison)
31% in transition housing
9% in permanent housing

Of the 2153 people on the streets/jails/hospitals, 93% were on the streets, 7% in jail, hospitals, etc. Of the 2153, 99% were individuals and 1% families. Of the individuals, 77% were single adult males, 12% single adult females, 2% were unaccompanied youth, and 8% were of undetermined age/gender.

85% in the city of Atlanta
l5% outside Atlanta (in Dekalb County or Fulton County)

84% single men and single women
l6% people in families

Children under 18 represented 63% of homeless families and 9% of all total homeless people

Of the 6956:

60% single males
11% single females
1% single youth (35 male and 31 females)
12% unknown gender/age
5% females in families
9% children in families
1% males in families
2% unknown. gender/age
(based on Figure 18 on page 30 of 2003 Metro Atlanta Tri-J Homeless Census Report
due to rounding to nearest whole number, total equals 101%)

87% African American
9% Caucasian
2% Pacific Islander
1% Hispanic or Latino
2% Other racial or ethnic group

U. S. Census 2000 population figures indicate that African Americans comprise 61% of the general population of the City of Atlanta, 45% in Fulton County, and 54% in DeKalb County.