1 in 9 Housing Units Vacant

During the fourth quarter of 2008, one in nine housing units in the United States were abandoned. These vacant homes have contagion effect on neighborhoods, attracting crime, blight, and declining property values. But perhaps the more troubling question is this: Where are all of those displaced families living now?

Here are the numbers from USA Today:

• More than 14 million housing units are vacant. That number does not include an estimated 4.8 million seasonal or vacation homes, most of which are occupied part of the year. The combined vacancy rate of almost 15% is higher than during previous recessions: 11% in 1991 and 9.4% in 1984.
• About 3% of owned homes are vacant. In normal times, "maybe 1% should be vacant," Myers says.
• More than 9% of homes built since 2000 are vacant compared with about 2% for older homes.
• Homes priced at $500,000 or more are just as likely to be empty as homes that cost less than $100,000.

While these are national statistics, it's important to note that those communities hardest his by foreclosures (such as Nevada, Arizona, and California) are bearing the brunt of vacancies. And, as you might expect, homeless service organizations in these communities have been grappling to meet the rapidly rising demand for services.

But not every family displaced from their home will seek shelter. For many families and individuals, shelter is a last resort. 

So where do families and individuals go when they've been displaced? 

I'll answer with a question: Where you would move if you lost your home tomorrow?

Well, if you're fortunate enough to have a "personal safety net," you'd probably move in with a family member or friend, right? You wouldn't be alone. This is where many homeless families and individuals wind up when they lose their home. Unfortunately, people living in doubled up situations are not considered "homeless" in HUD's eyes. Consider this (from a previous post):

Although it's unclear just how many people are avoiding spending nights on the streets, in cars, or in shelter by doubling up with a family member, the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) estimates that the number is compelling. In 2007, when Congress was first considering expanding the federal definition of homelessness, NAEH published a report estimating that including "doubled up" households in HUD's homeless definition would increase the current homeless population (744,313 on any given night) by 3.8 million. 

Even without a personal safety net, shelter isn't always the default option. Many homeless folks are squatting in these vacant properties. Others are living in precarious situations like as cars or tent cities.  

Once again, stimulus help is on the way. Congress began directing money to Neighborhood Stabilization (to mitigate the detrimental effects of abandoned properties) last summer, and this latest stimulus package funnels even more money towards these efforts. And the people affected by these vacancies have not been forgotten either. Homeless prevention and rapid rehousing received $1.5 billion. While this is certainly good news, it doesn't change these troubling numbers.

How many of the 14 million vacant homes are in your corner of the country? Do you know what happened to the people and families who once lived in those houses or apartments?