Barriers to Leaving Homelessness

It is easy to fall into homelessness but much more difficult to make it out. Many factors can combine to keep someone from leaving homelessness. These are the most common reasons:

• 62% of our guests (135 people) reported alcohol or drug addiction in the last 12 months, but only four people came to us from a substance abuse facility.
• 55% of our guests reported serious mental health issues in the last year (down from 63% in 2014-15)
• 11% of our guests reported experiencing domestic violence in the last year
• Of 22 Veterans that stayed at PACEM last winter, 6 were receiving VA benefits
• 7% (16 guests) were over retirement age, but only 3 guests were receiving social security retirement
• 30% of our guests were between 18-34 years old, the age where people are most employable