Invisible People is proud to announce we have been named a recipient of a racial equity grants given by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI). We are one of more than 25 recipients of the grants, which support organizations working to advance a more just, equitable, and inclusive world.
CZI selected Invisible People for our efforts to change the narrative of homelessness. Through storytelling, education, news, and activism, Invisible People elevates and centers the voices of marginalized individuals in efforts to end homelessness across the United States.
“We demonstrate how racial disparities lead to disproportionately high rates of homelessness among people of color, such as with our upcoming film, Eviction, which focuses on a Black mother forced into homelessness,” said Invisible People Founder Mark Horvath. “We also highlight individuals from marginalized communities in our journalism, with 65% of our writers being individuals with lived experience of homelessness.”
The Impact of Institutional Racism on Homelessness
Institutional racism plays an enormous part in the over-representation of homeless people of color. These disparities result from centuries of discrimination against people of color across housing, criminal justice, child welfare, education, and more. The 2021 Point In Time (PIT) Count highlights these disparities:
While African Americans only make up 13 percent of the U.S. population, they account for 45 percent of all individuals experiencing homelessness. In comparison, white people make up 77 percent of the U.S. population yet only represent 44 percent of all people experiencing homelessness.
Poverty also plays a part. White communities have had centuries of freedom and opportunity to build and pass on generational wealth. Because white families living close to the poverty line possess around $18,000 in wealth on average, they have a better chance of preventing homelessness.
On the other hand, poor Black families have an average of zero net wealth. With many Black families living dangerously close to the poverty line, it doesn’t take much to slip into homelessness. And with racial discrimination playing a part in matters of housing and criminal justice, this makes it even more likely for people of color to experience homelessness.
About Invisible People
We imagine a world where everyone has a place to call home. Each day, we work to fight homelessness by giving it a face while educating individuals about the systemic issues that contribute to its existence. Through storytelling, education, news, and activism, we are changing the narrative on homelessness.
Invisible People is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the way we think about people experiencing homelessness.
