Homeless In America

Guardian UK: How America counts its homeless – and why so many are overlooked - In the first dispatch of the year-long series Outside in America, we explore the challenges facing the country’s street count of homeless people every two years

One in five homeless Americans live in California, where the problem is especially acute. In the Golden State and three other western states – Hawaii, Nevada and Oregon – more than 50% of homeless people are categorized as unsheltered, meaning they are living in the streets, vehicles or parks, in places not fit for humans to stay. In New York, by comparison, the number is less than 5%.