Addiction Is Being Used to Explain Homelessness. The Numbers Don’t Back It Up.

A State-By-State Comparison of Homelessness Rates, Addiction Rates and Housing Costs Reveals What’s Actually Driving the Crisis

West Virginia has the highest addiction rate in the country. It doesn’t crack the top ten for homelessness. Hawaii has the highest homelessness rate in the country. It doesn’t crack the top ten for addiction. If addiction were driving homelessness, that wouldn’t be possible. The numbers tell a different story, and it’s one that powerful people would rather you didn’t read.

In the past two years, more than 350 anti-homeless ordinances have been passed across the US, many driven by model legislation from billionaire-backed think tanks like the Cicero Institute.

Addiction is being painted as the face of homelessness. People in positions of power claim we need legislative change. They suggest harsh prison sentences, forced addiction treatments, detention centers, and forced labor camps as solutions to the homeless crisis.

The majority of homeless people are not drug addicts. The lack of affordable housing is the leading cause of homelessness. One way we determine this is by looking at places with the highest levels of homelessness and identifying which issue is most pronounced.

States with the Highest Rates of Homelessness Have the Highest Housing Prices, Not the Most Drug Addicts

Below, you will find a list of states that boast the highest rates of homelessness per capita:

1. Hawaii
2. New York
3. Oregon
4. Vermont
5. California
6. Massachusetts
7. Washington
8. Alaska
9. Colorado
10. Nevada

This data originates from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s annual homelessness report but was compiled into a comprehensive chart by Statista.

When you compare states with the highest rates of homelessness to states with the highest level of addiction, there is a striking contrast. These lists do not reflect the notion that homelessness is caused by addiction. If that were true, then states with high rates of addiction would correlate with states with high rates of homelessness. Statistically, that isn’t the case:

States with the Highest Rates of Homelessness vs. States with the Highest Rates of Addiction. Source: HUD/SAMHSA

Here you can see that the state with the highest level of addiction, West Virginia, does not appear to have high rates of homelessness. It doesn’t even rank in the top ten. Additionally, Hawaii, with the highest rate of homelessness, does not rank in the top ten for addiction. The same is true for New York, which has the second-highest rate of homelessness and does not rank in the top ten states for addiction.

All in all, only a handful of states are listed in both columns, and even those that do appear in both are not in the same order. For example, Colorado is third for its national addiction rates but ninth for homelessness.

* Figures regarding which states have the most drug addicted individuals are compiled from SAMHSA’s Substance Use Disorder rate.

Upon further examination, when you contrast states with the highest housing costs to states with the highest rates of homelessness, you get a much more similar-looking chart:

States with the Highest Rates of Homelessness vs. States with the Highest Housing Costs. Source: HUD/Statista

Here you can see that states with the highest rates of homelessness often also appear at the top of the list with the highest cost of housing. Hawaii is number one in both, and New York, California, and Oregon take top slots in both as well. This doesn’t just hold true for states; it holds true for cities as well.

City by City, Homelessness Coincides with the Lack of Affordable Housing, Not Addiction

Cities with the Highest Rates of Homelessness vs. Cities with the Highest Rates of Addiction. Source: HUD/SAMHSA

The above chart illustrates how, when broken down by city, high rates of addiction do not necessarily translate to high rates of homelessness. If addiction were a leading cause of homelessness, Baltimore, MD, which is identified as having the highest rate of addiction in the country, should at least rank in the top ten for homelessness. It doesn’t. We also see that only one California city made the list for high rates of addiction, while five California cities ranked for homelessness.

California consistently ranks among the highest for housing costs, and the next chart shows how that translates into homelessness. However, before we delve deeper into those numbers, there’s something important to point out. Philadelphia, PA, is often portrayed by the media, influencers, and politicians as an epicenter for unsheltered individuals. However, as we see in the chart above, Philadelphia doesn’t even rank among the top 10 cities for homelessness. What Philadelphia has is a highly visible drug crisis. Conflating that with homelessness distorts both issues. So, why do we continue to conflate the two?

According to former Lt. Diane Goldstein, who founded the Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), an organization composed of criminal justice professionals advocating for drug policy reforms, this conflation is problematic.

“Drug policy touches everything,” she explained in a discussion with Invisible People reporters. “Criminalization has ruined the relationship between law enforcement and the communities we serve through over-policing. It helped contribute to mass incarceration and is indicative of the failure of investing in systems that work. This has led to police abuse, accountability, and transparency issues.”

Cities with the Highest Rates of Homelessness vs. Cities with the Highest Housing Costs. Source: HUD/SmartAsset

* Data on citywide addiction rates and housing rates derive from SAMHSA and Smart Asset, respectively.

Note, in particular, the number of California cities appearing on both lists. Homelessness is a housing issue.

Talk to Your Legislators About Making Housing Affordable for All

Misconceptions abound about the US homeless crisis. The data is clear: most homeless people are not drug addicts; most working-age homeless adults are employed, and millions of homeless people are school children. Housing is what the data points to. Tell your legislators to make it affordable, permanent, and accessible for all.