This year, 25 families were experiencing homelessness on the night of the 2022 Pasadena Homeless Count, representing five percent of all households. This proportion has remained constant over the last three years.
The number of families experiencing homelessness does not include families living in doubled-up arrangements or couch surfing. According to HUD, these groups are considered at-risk of homelessness and do not fit its definition of literal homelessness. While most families included in this year's count were in transitional housing or emergency shelter (92%), two were unsheltered.
For most families with children, homelessness is an experience that resolves relatively quickly. As such, families are significantly less likely to be chronically homeless than individuals (9% vs. 60%).
Perhaps the greatest disparity seen among families with children who experience homelessness in Pasadena is the growing overrepresentation of Hispanic or Latino people. Eighty percent of people in unhoused families identified as Hispanic or Latino, compared to 37% of individuals experiencing homelessness.
Since 2016, the share of Hispanic and Latino people experiencing homelessness in families has increased by 49%. This shift is likely driven by the increased proportion of Hispanic and Latino families with children.
While poverty is commonly cited as the primary driver of homelessness, the overrepresentation of Hispanic and Latino families cannot be singularly attributed to poverty alone. According to the 2015-2019 American Community Survey, 31% of all families with children in Pasadena identified as Hispanic or Latino, and 55% of all families living in poverty identified as Hispanic or Latino. By comparison, significantly more (80%) families experiencing homelessness identify as Hispanic or Latino, signaling ethnic disparity beyond the impact of poverty.