Examining the Socioeconomic Characteristics of White Homeless Persons: A Trend Analysis

Omphemetse Moche, Statistics South Africa
Lutendo Malisha, Statistics South Africa

According to the UN Habitat (2021), globally, there were an estimated 150 million homeless people 1.6 billion people lacked suitable housing. In the US, homelessness varies according to racial groups. In the year 2022, homeless persons in the US were estimated to be 300, 000 and these were mostly African Americans, Asian, Native Americans and Pacific Islander or mixed race (Fowler, 2022). This paper intends to profile white homeless persons in South Africa. Trends and socio-economic characteristics of white homeless persons will be investigated using South African census 2001, 2011 and 2022. The results indicate that there was a decline in the number of white persons who were homeless from 1765 in 2001 to 1508 in 2022. Males and young people are at higher risk of homelessness.