Above are data points relating to gender identities of individuals assessed in the TN-501 HMIS System.
Left – Total Unhoused Population: The TN-501 total unhoused population in 2022 suggests that single men are 2.5x more likely to experience homelessness that single women. This can be explained due to a number of likely key factors. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, “men are overrepresented in the criminal justice system and, “roughly 48,000 people entering shelters every year are coming nearly directly from prisons or jails” (Cho, 2015)” and it isn’t just the criminal justice system who is failing men when we can observe “the education system, which many experts suggest is failing boys who are more likely to drop out and experience suspensions/expulsions (GAO, 2018; NCES, Fast Facts 2019)”. Additionally, most CoCs prioritize services by risk ranking, meaning women, LGBTQ+ folks, veterans, people fleeing domestic violence, youth, people with disabilities, etc. are prioritized for available services. In communities where there are not adequate resources to meet the needs of all people experiencing homelessness, this often presents similarly to our community data.
Middle – Unhoused Families: While the population of unhoused individuals is predominantly male, women were twice as likely to experience homelessness as the head of house for a family in TN-501 in 2022. This dynamic is not just applicable to Memphis. Throughout the United States, 60% of the people experiencing homelessness with families are women. Furthermore, national data indicates that households with a female head of house are 2.5x more likely to experience food insecurity than married couples, and experience rates of poverty nearly five times greater than for married couple households. Lack of affordable childcare or limited access to job training programs, and primary childcare responsibilities and subsequent hiring discrimination all act as barriers to employment for single mothers. Even after securing a job, pay inequity presents further barriers. In 2023, single mothers of all races on average make 71 cents for every dollar for earned by men of all races. For BIPOC women, the disparity is even greater. Poverty rates aside, domestic violence is a leading cause for homelessness both in single women and in women-headed families. The pairing of decreasing affordable housing with the financial hurdles listed above create a system in which families fleeing violence face a high risk of housing insecurity.
Bottom – Unhoused Youth: The Congressional Research Service suggests that key factors for youth homelessness include sexual orientation, struggles in school, sexual activity, pregnancy, traumatic home life, and substance abuse, and that female-identifying youth are most likely to run away. Eight of the one-hundred-six youth who responded to a survey question in 2023 were pregnant, and 15% of collected youth sexual orientation data plus approx. 4% of collected youth gender identity data fell under the LGBTQ+ spectrum.

NOTE: The United States Census does not collect information on Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation, meaning that there is no clear, accurate method for comparing gender equity in TN-501’s unhoused population. Nonetheless, numerous studies suggest that the LGBTQ+ population experiences disproportionate rates of homelessness both as youth and adults. Furthermore, data indicates that BIPOC represent a disproportionate number of the LGBTQ+ population facing housing insecurity. If you are interested in learning more about how homelessness presents for LGBTQ+ populations, please explore the studies included below:
Homelessness Among LGBTQ+ Adults in the US (Williams Institute of Law)
Homelessness and Housing Instability Among LGBTQ Youth (Trevor Project)
LGBTIQ+ Homelessness: A Review of the Literature (International Journal of Public Research and Environmental Health)
Transgender Homeless Adults & Unseltered Homelessness: What the Data Tells Us (National Alliance to End Homelessness)
Breakout Report: LGBTQ Tennesseans (Southern Equality Research & Policy Center)