The following study was conducted by The University of California, San Francisco Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative (BHHI). Providing comprehensive insight into the causes and consequences of homelessness, The California Study of People Experiencing Homelessness (CASPEH) is the largest representative study of homelessness in the United States since the mid-1990s.
365 interviews were conducted in English and Spanish and nearly 3,200 administered questionnaires.
Through in-depth interviews of a representative sample of adults experiencing homelessness throughout the state of California, the report explores firsthand the reasons and experiences of homelessness to shape programs and policy responses
to the homelessness crisis. CASPEH consists of 5 chapters which breakdown the study results and analyzes the characteristics and experiences of adults experiencing homelessness, the precipitants of homelessness, the barriers and facilitators to exiting homelessness, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on homelessness, and the opportunities to better prevent and end homelessness in California.
See below for table of contents.
Table of Contents:
Top Key Takeaways
- Single homeless adults comprise the vast majority of adults experiencing homelessness in California.
- Participants’ lives were marked by multiple forms of stress and trauma
- Homelessness is inextricably linked to deep poverty
- Most participants believed that interventions that provided financial assistance could have prevented their homelessness
- Homelessness presents barriers to physical and behavioral health treatment and care needs
- More than a third of participants experienced physical or sexual violence during this episode of homelessness.
- Two-thirds of participants reported current mental health symptoms
- Housing costs posed the most significant barrier to regaining housing
- Participants noted additional obstacles, including logistical barriers
- Ongoing impacts of structural racism place communities of color at increased risk for homelessness.
More than 171,000 people experience homelessness daily in California, two times more than the next highest state.