Racial Inequities in Homelessness and Housing Services
People of color are overrepresented among people who are homeless in the United States. This overrepresentation is the result of long-standing systemic inequities in housing, employment, healthcare, and education, compounded by racism embedded in public policy and service delivery systems.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds Continuums of Care (CoCs)—local planning bodies responsible for coordinating housing and services for people experiencing homelessness. However, there is not nearly enough housing or funding to meet the needs of every individual or family seeking help. As a result, HUD requires CoCs to assess and prioritize people based on need to allocate limited resources.
But these assessments, used to determine who gets housing first, have come under scrutiny. Homeless service providers and other local stakeholders have voiced serious concerns that the tools and methods used are not equitable and often result in White people being prioritized for housing over people of color.
These concerns have been compounded by recent executive actions under the Trump Administration that target diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility initiatives. Such actions threaten to introduce new barriers for homeless services serving people of color, including:
- Cuts to funding for racial equity programs
- Limitations on hiring staff from impacted communities
- Disruption of racial equity training for service providers
- Discontinuation of tools used to identify racial disparities
- Threats to projects specifically addressing Black and Latino homelessness
Despite these rollbacks, organizations that receive HUD funding remain legally bound by civil rights protections such as the Fair Housing Act, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
A Closer Look at Assessment Inequities
To examine the potential racial inequities in how people are assessed for housing, C4 Innovations partnered with Building Changes and four Continuums of Care to conduct a study. Key findings include:
- Black, Indigenous, and other people of color are, on average, prioritized lower than White counterparts
- White individuals are more likely to be prioritized for Permanent Supportive Housing resources
- The most commonly used tool—the VI-SPDAT—asks questions that tend to reflect vulnerabilities more frequently experienced by White people, rather than those affecting people of color
The study concludes that there is a need to change assessment and prioritization processes. It makes recommendations for the next steps at the local and national/policy levels as well as additional research needed. Some of the recommendations include:
- Use available tools: Communities should adopt tools like HUD’s CoC Racial Equity Analysis Tool to identify racial disparities in their homelessness systems, analyze the root causes, and act accordingly
- Reform assessment methods: Systems should consider replacing or supplementing tools like the VI-SPDAT with assessments that better capture the lived experiences and vulnerabilities of people of color
- Train service providers: All staff and program administrators should be trained in racial equity frameworks, cultural humility and sensitivity, and trauma-informed practices
However, these recommendations are likely to change under the new administration.
As of April 2024, Executive Order 1415 has led to cuts to HUD’s Fair Housing grants, which protect minority Americans from housing discrimination. As for other efforts, racial equity training for service providers will be disrupted, tools to identify racial disparities in homeless services will be discontinued, and projects focused on Black and Latino homelessness are at risk.
What Communities Can Do
Even in the face of federal rollbacks, there are steps that local communities and individuals can take:
- Continue racial equity training: Ensure frontline staff are equipped with the tools and understanding needed to serve diverse communities fairly
- Support affected organizations: Donate to or advocate for organizations that provide services to homeless populations of color—these groups are often the first to face funding cuts
- Uplift evidence-based messaging: Help reshape public narratives about race, equity, and homelessness by sharing accurate, empathetic, and inclusive stories and data
The path to ending homelessness must include addressing racial inequities head-on. We have the research. We have the recommendations. Now we need courage, and the collective will to act.
