The Homeless

MYTHS SQUASHED

1. “All homeless are older, alcoholic males”
In the 2025 PIT:

  • Children under 18: 12% (90 people)
  • Youth 18–24: 6%
  • Adults 25–64: 75%
  • Seniors 65+: 6%
    Gender: ~66% male, 31% female (plus a small percentage other).
    There were 46 households with minor children. Families with children are a consistent presence (earlier years showed ~18% children). School-district McKinney-Vento data identifies far more students in unstable housing than the strict PIT “literal homelessness” count captures.

2. “All of the homeless are lazy and refuse to work”
Local reporting and Coalition work emphasize that many people experiencing homelessness (or at high risk) are working or recently employed. Affordability is a major driver: 38% of Sedgwick County households were living paycheck-to-paycheck (ALICE data), with high shares of renters cost-burdened. Medical crises, low wages, and rising housing costs push working families into homelessness. Exact employment percentages for the PIT population are not always published in the summary reports, but the pattern matches national findings (substantial employment among the homeless population) and local provider accounts.

3. “All of the homeless want to be on welfare”
The qualitative point holds: public assistance is often insufficient relative to local housing and living costs, and barriers remain. Exact 1990s dollar figures and program names (e.g., Kanwork) are obsolete. Current local reports highlight the broader affordability crisis and the need for more affordable housing as primary issues.

The public perception of welfare is that it is easy to obtain, easy to live on, and provides an excellent standard of living. In reality, applying for welfare can be (and often is) a dehumanizing experience.

The welfare system in and of itself is not designed for the benefit of the client nor is it designed to empower them to achieve a better life.

Even when a mother is able to secure employment she often does not make enough to pay for other necessities; such as child care, medical costs, transportation, etc. The monthly amount a single mother with two children receives in support if it’s getting paid is $403 with approximately $304 in food stamps. Out of this money she must pay her rent, utilities, transportation, etc. Items such as toilet paper, paper products, cleaning supplies, diapers, etc. are not covered by food stamps. For example, if her monthly rent is $325, that will leave her with $78 to purchase the above listed items. As you can see, that will not ensure her a high standard of living.

4. “All of the homeless are uneducated”
People from a variety of backgrounds, educational levels, ethnic groups become homeless. It is estimated that every American is two paychecks away from becoming homeless. Local data does not publish detailed education breakdowns in the main PIT summaries, but the diversity of pathways (job loss, medical issues, family crisis, rising rents) and the presence of working households align with the original point that education alone does not prevent homelessness.

5. “All of the homeless are addicted to drugs and alcohol”
HUD CoC data for the area (e.g., 2024) shows elevated rates of chronic substance abuse and serious mental illness among some subgroups, but these do not describe the majority. The overall population includes families, children, seniors, and people whose primary issues are economic. Structural factors—housing costs, limited affordable units, and income instability—are repeatedly cited by local leaders as key drivers. Statistically, it is estimated that approximately 30% of the homeless population in the United States has a substance abuse problem. Most?stereotype their behavior and personal characteristics, It becomes easy to “blame” them for their misfortune and see them as deserving their fate. In reality, many of the factors that impact these families and individuals are beyond their control (poverty, lack of affordable housing, mental illness and/or mental retardation, inability to find full time permanent employment which would allow them to support their family, physical disabilities, inability to support family on public assistance, etc.)

Key Context

  • Unsheltered numbers have risen in recent years even as overall counts fluctuate.
  • Shelter capacity is constrained (community beds often near full; specialized family shelters exist, such as St. Anthony Family Shelter and others).
  • Positive outcomes: Many people exit homelessness relatively quickly with support, and the Coalition tracks housing placements and retention.
  • Primary local driver highlighted in 2025–2026 reports: the growing affordability crisis (ALICE households, cost-burdened renters).

Sources for the most current numbers:

Official local PIT counts & Coalition reports

Supporting local news & analysis

Prepared by Pastor Joshua Catlin of Messiah’s Branch
Disclaimer: we report our findings from sources and do not hold to the views of any guests or journalists we happen to present or platform.