KINGSTON, R.I. — Oct. 15, 2025 —The prevalence of homelessness varies across communities by race, with Black communities experiencing disproportionately higher rates of homelessness across both urban and suburban communities, according to research recently conducted in the University of Rhode Island’s Department of Public Health. While all racial groups are hampered by a lack of housing affordability, Black and Latine residents face additional obstacles in accessing housing.

Local community leaders should note the racial disparities and acknowledge that racialized conditions influence the prevalence of homelessness, according to Assistant Professor Molly Richard. Her paper, “Homelessness and race: The impact of structural conditions on Black, White, and Latine homelessness,” was recently published in the national journal, Social Problems.

“Housing and economic conditions drive homelessness, and structural racism means communities experience these pressures differently,” Richard wrote. “As rents continue to rise and debates over the solutions to homelessness intensify, we need to encourage local leaders to focus on the root causes: housing affordability and the barriers that block equal access.”

In her paper, Richard describes how community-level conditions—including housing, labor, and social safety net factors—are associated with each racial group’s homelessness rates, examining data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Point-in-Time count of sheltered and unsheltered homelessness, and the American Community Survey. Higher rental prices, income inequality, and race-specific employment rates are major factors affecting homelessness rates. Richard noted strong relationships between rental costs and Black unsheltered homelessness, and income inequality and Black homelessness.

In her paper, Richard discusses her findings in the context of racialized housing and labor markets, arguing that “race matters for understanding and addressing homelessness.”

Some key findings Richard details in her paper include:

• Black communities experience homelessness in the United States at a rate nearly four times higher than the average—63 people per 10,000 residents, compared with the overall average of 17 per 10,000 residents.
• Even in places not known for large homeless populations—the Midwest, for example—Black people face disproportionately high rates, even when compared to areas with higher homeless populations, such as the West Coast and Northeast.
• For Latine communities, homelessness isn’t concentrated only on the West Coast. Rates are highest in the Northeast.
• Higher rental costs are associated with Black, White, and Latine homelessness, underscoring that homelessness is a housing problem across racial groups.
• Other structural conditions—income inequality, poverty, employment—also factor into homelessness rates, but they vary by race.

“With this study, I wanted to show that taking a colorblind approach to homelessness limits how we understand its scope, causes, and solutions,” Richard said. “Addressing homelessness means not only making housing more affordable and expanding employment opportunities—but also confronting the racial disadvantages that persist across these systems.”

Richard, who also serves as the director of applied learning for URI’s Master of Public Health Program, focuses her research on homelessness, housing, and the social determinants of health. Her research aims to advance equity in housing and health by informing homelessness response strategies at local, state, and national levels, as well as broader housing, health, and social welfare policy.