Status

• The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development defines a homeless person as one who either has no regular nighttime residence, or whose primary nighttime residence is a shelter or other organization providing temporary assistance, or some location not designed to be used as a sleeping accommodation. Of those who use homeless shelters, 94 percent are single adults, while 4 percent are families and 2 percent minors living alone. The best indicators are that the number of people living in such poverty is increasing.
  
  

Housing

• There are several different types of shelters available to those without a home of their own. Emergency shelters provide overnight accommodations, with a limit of three months or less. Day shelters allow their guests to stay during the day. Both may provide meals, showers, laundry facilities or case management as well. Most are free. Transitional housing is aimed at helping people get ready for a permanent housing situation, with a window of six months to two years, and requires 30 percent of their residents' income to go toward costs. The same applies for permanent affordable housing.
  
  

Food

• Soup kitchens hand out hot meals daily for anyone who needs them. Many homeless shelters also provide meals. Food pantries collect food to distribute to needy persons. Many small food pantries operate out of churches, where they hand out groceries during certain hours throughout the week. An example of an online database of food pantries and soup kitchens is the Food Parties website (foodpantries.org). Donating to a food pantry is one of the easiest ways to help those who are in need.
  
  

Job Skills

• The U.S. Department of Labor has numerous programs designed to provide job training and help to people who are homeless and jobless. Some of them include the Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Programs, the Veterans' Workforce Investment Program, the Responsible Reintegration of Youthful Offenders, Ready4Work and the Job Corps. The intent is to teach self-sufficiency and responsibility, as well as provide practical training in job skills. Other organizations provide free legal representation to homeless people in order to help them gain access to social services.