New UCSF BHHI Report Examines Latine Californians’ Experiences of Homelessness
SAN FRANCISCO (June 11, 2025) – The University of California, San Francisco Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative (BHHI) today released a report examining the experiences of Latine Californians experiencing homelessness and offering recommendations for policymakers and practitioners.
“Anti-Latine racism, a chronic shortage of affordable housing, and exclusion from key safety net programs combine to create deep vulnerabilities to homelessness for Latine Californians,” said Kara Young Ponder, PhD, former BHHI Director of Community Engagement and Racial Justice and lead author of the report. “Our findings show that Latine Californians experience homelessness in ways that are deeply shaped by systemic discrimination and structural inequities.”
Margot Kushel, MD, senior author of the report, emphasized the urgent need for tailored, equity-centered responses: “The pathways into and through homelessness for Latine Californians are in many ways similar to all Californians experiencing homelessness, but have distinct features. The solution to homelessness is to increase access to affordable housing and provide tailored support services. In addition to these, solutions to Latine homelessness must include culturally responsive services, family-centered interventions, and removing systemic barriers to housing and vital supports.”
Toward Equity: Understanding Latine Californians’ Experiences of Homelessness is based on survey data and in-depth interviews from the California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness (CASPEH), the largest representative study of homelessness in the U.S. since the mid-1990s.
The full findings and recommendations from the Latine Californians’ Experiences of Homelessness report are available here.
Key findings from the report include:
35 percent of adults experiencing homelessness in California identify as Latine.
Latine adults experiencing homelessness are younger, with a median age of 42, lower than members of other racial groups.
Nearly half (48%) were in their first episode of homelessness. Among those who completed the survey in Spanish, 71% were.
Half (52%) entered homelessness from housing without a formal lease, meaning they were doubled up, living without the legal protections of a lease. This was especially pronounced among those born outside the U.S. (70%).
Seventy-nine percent spent most of their nights in unsheltered locations: either outdoors (54%) or in vehicles (26%).
One-third (33%) of Latine adults had minor children not currently staying with them; 24% reported being separated from their children because of homelessness.
Nearly all (93%) lost their last housing in California, and most (78%) were still in the same county where they lost housing.
The Report includes recommendations for policymakers and programs should consider to better support Latine Californians experiencing homelessness.
The Latine Experiences of Homelessness Report is part of a series of reports based on CASPEH data, including the comprehensive study, reports on intimate partner violence and homelessness, racial equity and Black people’s experiences of homelessness, older adults experiencing homelessness, behavioral health and homelessness, and topic briefs on pregnancy and unsheltered homelessness.
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Citation:
Young-Ponder, K., Dones, M., Coronado, Z.K, Perry, E., Kushel, M. (2025). Toward Equity: Understanding Latine Californians’ Experiences of Homelessness in the California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness. UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative.
We thank the California Health Care Foundation for supporting this work. A full list of partners and funders for the CASPEH study, from which these data are drawn, is available at homelessness.ucsf.edu/CASPEH.
About UCSF BHHI
The UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative (BHHI) provides accurate, timely policy-oriented research about homelessness for local, state, and national policymakers and practitioners. Funded by a generous gift from Marc and Lynne Benioff and based at the UCSF Division of Health Equity and Society, UCSF BHHI is a trusted source for evidence-based practice, policy, and scalable solutions—turning evidence into action to prevent and end homelessness.
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