25 Cities With Extremely High Homeless Populations

During my visit to Krazyshot's thread about crime statistics in Baltimore, we got into a discussion about homelessness in certain US cities like Baltimore, Portland, and los Angeles. Things got interesting so I decided to dedicate a thread on this topic. Do you know the amount(s) of homeless there are in your city? I am truly astounded by the numbers! Some cities have homeless populations that outnumber other cities entire populations. I found this site with a rundown of the 25 cities with the largest homeless populations; I'm surprised at some of the cities that made the list:

25 Cities With Extremely High Homeless Populations

POSTED BY JUAN CASTILLO ON APRIL 29, 2014
According to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, there is an estimated 100 million homeless people worldwide. This is a startling statistic when you consider how affluent some parts of the world are. Here is but a short glimpse at this social travesty within these 25 cities with extremely high homeless populations.

25 Lisbon, Portugal
www.photoree.com

Most of the homeless people in Portugal are concentrated in the cities of Lisbon and Porto. Reports say that around 300 homeless people sleep on the streets of Lisbon every night. Today, members of the Comunidade Vida e Paz are persuading the homeless population of Lisbon to take part in rehabilitation programs in order to improve the quality of their lives.

24 Denver, Colorado
www.denverpost.com

According to the 2012 Point in Time report from Metro Denver Homeless Initiative, Denver saw an increase in it’s homeless population from 411 to 964 between the years of 2011 and 2012.

23
Indianapolis, Indiana
www.nuvo.net

There are as many as 2,200 homeless people every night in the city of Indianapolis, which is equivalent to around 15,000 over the course of a year. Thought this city is known for its faith-based shelters, there’s just not enough shelters to provide a place for the entire homeless population.

22 Dublin, Ireland
www.theguardian.com

In a recent study shows that about seven people per day become homeless in Dublin. In 2013, there were about 2,366 people that were reported to be sleeping on the streets of Dublin every night. The government’s failure to increase the stock of social housing is said to be the root cause of this social problem.

21 Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
www.zimbio.com

Rio De Janeiro is known for having a high homelessness rate with over 2,500 homeless people as of last year.

20 Baltimore, Maryland
commons.wikimedia.org

According to a 2011 study, there are about 4,088 homeless individuals in Baltimore, Maryland, many of which are families with children. Today, the city government is making strides towards putting an end to this social problem by creating projects aimed at providing affordable housing and health care.

19 Tokyo, Japan
phototravels.net

A 2013 study shows an estimated homeless population of 5,000 living in Tokyo. This number was a significant increase from the 3,800 homeless individuals recorded in 2008.

18 Chicago, Illinois
observationsworkshop.blogspot.com

As of July 2013, analysis by Chicago Coalition for the Homeless found that 116,042 Chicagoans were homeless in the course of the 2012-13 school year. This is a 10% increase from last year’s homeless population.

17 Washington, D.C.
souciant.com

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the number of homeless people living in Washington in 2013 was around 6,865. Last year, the city government began to provide shelter to its homeless population whenever temperature levels droped below freezing point. Those who do not want to stay in temporary shelters are provided with a budget to stay in hotels.

16 Rome, Italy
www.cookiesound.com

Out of the 17,000 homeless people in Italy, 7,000 are from Rome.

15 Tampa, Florida
www.emirates247.com

Lack of affordable housing and homeless shelters has contributed to the alarming number of 7,419 homeless people who call the streets of Tampa their home each night.

14 San Diego, California
kpbs.org

The second largest city in the State of California with a population of 1,345,895, San Diego is home to 8,879 homeless people.

13 Athens, Greece
www.theguardian.com

Homelessness statistics show that out of the 20,000 homeless people in Greece, 9,000 are from Athens. The number of homeless people in Athens has continued to grow since the economic crisis of 2009.

12 Seattle, Washington
seattleindustry.org

According to the 2013 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, Seattle is home to a total homeless population of 9,106.

11 San Francisco, U.S.A.
familysurvivalprotocol.com

Around 7,000 to 10,000 people in San Francisco, U.S.A. are homeless, 3,000 to 5,000 of which refuse to live in temporary shelters provided by the government.

10 Sao Paulo, Brazil
www.habitants.org

Based on a study conducted recently, around 10,000 people are homeless in the center of Sao Paulo Brazil. Most sleep in old abandoned buildings and hotels.

9 Budapest, Hungary
www.saudigazette.com.sa

In Budapest alone, there are about 10,000 homeless people. Recently, the Hungarian government passed a law that criminalizes homelessness, forcing those who do not want to stay in government-provided shelters to have their own homes. As of today, around 6,000 of the homeless population live in Budapest shelters.

8 Buenos Aires, Argentina
www.thefix.com

The Homeless are said to be the phantoms of Buenos Aires streets. As of today, there are about 15,000 homeless people residing in the filthy streets of the city and with the city’s public refuges hosting 1,700 beds for the homeless, this is a scenario that is not going to change any time soon.

7 Mumbai, India

www.flickr.com

In 2003, there were about 23 million homeless people in India. Since then, the number has gone up despite the programs implemented by the government to reduce its homelessness rate. In Mumbai alone, there are about 25,000 people who sleep on the streets every night.

6 Jakarta, Indonesia
www.thejakartapost.com

According to the 2000 census, around 28,364 people are homeless in Jakarta, Indonesia. However, due to recent natural calamities such as floods and storms the homeless population has grown significantly.

5 Mexico City, Mexico
people.gnome.org

40% of the total population of Mexico is living in poverty and according to Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) the number of people on the streets of the Mexican capital stands to be between 15,000 and 30,000.

4 Moscow, Russia
jeremynicholl.photoshelter.com

There are about 5 million homeless people in Russia and of that number, 1 million are children. Studies show that Moscow has the largest share of homeless people in the country, accounting for 10,000 – 50,000 (depending on the source of information). Despite the ever growing number, there remains no social approach to the problem.

3 Los Angeles, U.S.A.
www.nytimes.com

Los Angeles has one of the largest concentrations of homeless people in the United States. Currently, it houses about 57,737 homeless people.

2 New York City over 60,000, 22,000 of which were children.

1 MANILLA, PHILLIPINES: 22.8 million reside in slums. And according to a Philippine government report, 1.2 million are children who live either by peddling or or begging on the streets.

What says ATS?

list25.com...

a reply to: lostbook

Assuming these numbers are accurate that is really sad,the current system in place is really failing the people .....

If the homeless numbers ever reach a critical mass that will be where the revolution kicks off,as for now they are still controllable .....as the cost of living increases and more people slip through the cracks it really is painting an awful picture ...

I find it very hard to believe that NYC has more homeless than Mexico city.

I just don't see how that's possible ?!


If the numbers are correct, then my mind is officially blown.

Such numbers are meaningless. They should be. Ranked in order of homeless people per capita

a reply to: lostbook

So 11 out of 25 are American cities? We hold 4.5% of world population and almost half of the poorest cities?

The richer the country is the poorer the people are?

originally posted by: CranialSponge
I find it very hard to believe that NYC has more homeless than Mexico city.

I just don't see how that's possible ?!


If the numbers are correct, then my mind is officially blown.

I heard that there are mini societies in the abandoned NY underground. No telling how many there are....

No African city made the list, that's surprising, and Tokyo rather than Osaka??

Stockholm 2.000.000 / 4.000 Homeless, but the thing is, shelter is provided by the state but you have to follow their rules.. So id say 99% of the 4.000 Homeless its cause they dont want to be drug free..

Roma community overall Sweden, Homeless ( Beggars ) approx. 4.000, they do live in their own Trailer communities and is allowed as long as they dont soil down the area.. Meaning everything from feces to urine needs to be disposed in the right manners..

originally posted by: Spider879
No African city made the list, that's surprising, and Tokyo rather than Osaka??

Yeah, you can tell this is just a report of another report of another report. Osaka is horrible when it comes to homeless sake drink'n daytime Japanese trying to fight off the reality of no family, no job, no affordable provided by the Osaka got. and just plan no hope. Tents are real cheap here. A day panhandling will get you one.

Honolulu has one of the highest numbers of people living on or near the streets of any major American city.
By the way, if you want to enjoy your retirement and are single and living off SS or SSDI, go and live homeless in Honolulu , your prefect vacation of a lifetime, no cooking, free bathing, great weather and food stamps at your asking.

originally posted by: Kharron
a reply to: lostbook

So 11 out of 25 are American cities? We hold 4.5% of world population and almost half of the poorest cities?

The richer the country is the poorer the people are?

It's no different from Canada or the UK. People become homeless because they are thrown out by family or friends because they have drug/alcohol addictions and can't hold down a job. They won't maintain their homes, keep the music down, or be polite to neighbors. They can't even be found accommodation in the private sector and paid for by the council.

I don't understand the homeless children bit in New York. Are they with parents, or are they on their own?

a reply to: lostbook

Want to see homelessness combated successfully? Look up salt lake city Utah.

a reply to: musicismagic

Honolulu has one of the highest numbers of people living on or near the streets of any major American city.

Per capita, Hawaii has the highest homelessness rate.

www.latimes.com...

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: musicismagic

Honolulu has one of the highest numbers of people living on or near the streets of any major American city.

Per capita, Hawaii has the highest homelessness rate.

www.latimes.com...

I hope many more people read what you read. And yes, many are Hawaiians with children. There is just not enough facilities to house of of the people. But the police to try their best for the tourist don't really get bothered by them.
Actually what i said is very true, Hawaii is best if you decided to drop out and become homeless and live of of Social Security or SSDI or whatever.

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: musicismagic

Honolulu has one of the highest numbers of people living on or near the streets of any major American city.

Per capita, Hawaii has the highest homelessness rate.

www.latimes.com...

In just sheer numbers of people, La and NY are the highest in the US. I've heard of the severe homeless problem in Honolulu, however.

Thank you for your contribution.

a reply to: lostbook

Yes. I know. Honolulu was raised so I thought I would point out the per capita statistic for Hawaii.

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: lostbook

Yes. I know. Honolulu was raised so I thought I would point out the per capita statistic for Hawaii.

What about the #1 spot, Manilla, Phillipines? 1.2 mil children begging on the streets.

a reply to: lostbook
Awful.
But how does that work when the population is 1.6 million (in 2010)?
psa.gov.ph...

I live in Los Angeles and have noticed a lot more people out living in the streets than before. Homeless teenagers has definitely been on a rise. Feel bad for these folks, especially on the holidays.

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: lostbook
Awful.
But how does that work when the population is 1.6 million (in 2010)?
psa.gov.ph...

Good point, Phage. Well, it is pointed out in the article that some of the "homeless" actually live in the slums. Maybe some of the 1.2 mil homeless are unaccounted for in the general consensus. I did't cross check the figures so these numbers could be totally off. Thanks for keeping me on my toes!