Every year, more people go homeless in Wisconsin

Homelessness is a social issue that affects Americans nationwide. Solely in the state of Wisconsin we have seen a 17% increase in homeless individuals and families since 2021. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) partially attributes this increase to, “our worsening national affordable housing crisis, rising inflation, and stagnating wages among middle- and lower-income households” (HUD, Annual Homeless Assessment, 2024). The living wage for a single adult in the state of Wisconsin is estimated at $20.22/hour, whereas the state minimum wage is $7.25/hour. The estimated living wage only goes up as children are added to the equation (mit.edu, 2024). This indicates that even if a homeless individual is working, they may not necessarily be able to afford housing. 

There have also been studies by the National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) to estimate the number of  enrolled students in Wisconsin who experienced homelessness from the school year of 2019 to 2022.

(Ungraded 3-5 yr olds + Kindergarten-12)

School Year 2019-20:  

17,221 total students.  2.0% of total student body 

School Year 2020-21: 

13,450 total students. 1.6 % of total student body *NOTE Enrollment data could be affected due to Covid19

School Year 21-22: 

16,487 total students.  2.0% of total student body

(NCHE 2023, “Student Homelessness in America”).

From the school year 2021-22, the NCHE found that 10.5% to 13.3% of homeless students in the state of Wisconsin were unaccompanied youth, here defined as a youth who is not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian.

 How can this create vulnerability to sex trafficking? 

“Individuals who lack safe housing are more likely to engage in dangerous employment to meet their needs, making them vulnerable to trafficking…” (National Alliance to End Homelessness, “The intersections of human trafficking and homelessness,” 2020).

A 2016 study by Loyola University and Covenant House found that nearly 1 in 5 youth who received shelter services from Covenant House had experienced some form of human trafficking (Coerced or forced into labor or commercial sex)” (Murphy, “Labor and sex trafficking among homeless youth.” 2016)

More recent research by the charity organization Covenant House found that 68% of the children they sheltered who had experienced trafficking or who had engaged in survivor sex were homeless at the time (Covenant House 2018-19).