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FIVE YEAR SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PLAN <br /> FINAL REPORT <br /> Housing Status. The survey found a wide variation in sleeping places. The most <br /> common sleeping locations were "place to place" (38%) and family/friends (29%). Eight <br /> percent slept in shelters or transitional housing, and an equal proportion (8%) slept in <br /> the streets, encampments or abandoned buildings. For 17%, their sleeping places were <br /> unknown or could not be ascertained. It is important to bear in mind that while these <br /> individuals may have a place to sleep on a given night, none of them has a permanent <br /> address, and all of them are on the streets from time to time. <br /> The most common length of chronic homelessness was two-to-four years (42%). A <br /> surprisingly high proportion (38%) had entered chronic homelessness in the past two <br /> years, with 18% having been chronically homeless for more than four years.9 <br /> It would be irresponsible to analyze this population without considering the impact of ' <br /> public policies on the recent growth of chronic homelessness. Much of the increase in <br /> Decatur's chronically homeless population is attributable to policies enacted at the state <br /> and federal levels over the last quarter century. The "de-institutionalization" movement <br /> of the 1980s emptied many state-run mental health centers, in effect sending mentally ill <br /> residents onto the streets. In the 1990s, mandatory-sentencing caused many nonviolent <br /> substance abusers to spend time in prisons. Reform of disability programs rendered <br />' persons with substance abuse disorders ineligible for income-maintenance benefits. At <br /> the same time, the "war on drugs" and the "zero-tolerance" movement severely <br /> restricted access to housing and jobs for people with criminal records, especially for <br /> drug-related activity. <br /> 9 The data on length of chronic homelessness are all estimates and may nof be accurate. <br /> PAGE 12 <br />