The Issues + Solutions

Who is Homeless in the Fargo-Moorhead Metro?

On any given night, around 1,050 people experience homelessness in our community.

This number is an estimate based on a variety of data available to us including a daily changing shelter census, those encountered in outreach work, and those seeking services. Outreach and service numbers are most likely much lower than reality and change from day to day and week to week. This homeless population in our community is predominantly working age adults (72%) and male (67.5%). There is a significant racial disparity compared to the general population in our community with nearly half the homeless population being non-white.

These figures highlight that homelessness is not a static or easily measured condition—it is fluid and often hidden. Many individuals move in and out of shelters, stay temporarily with friends or family, or remain unsheltered in places not meant for human habitation. Others avoid seeking services altogether because of stigma, fear, or past negative experiences. This makes accurately capturing the scope of homelessness a persistent challenge, but even imperfect data paints a clear picture: too many people in our community lack a safe, stable place to live.

The disproportionate impact on people of color underscores how systemic racism, discrimination, and historic inequities in housing and economic opportunity continue to shape who experiences homelessness. Native American, Black, and multiracial individuals are overrepresented in homelessness locally and nationally. These disparities are not the result of individual choices alone but of policies and practices that have excluded generations from stable housing, fair wages, and access to health care. Addressing homelessness effectively requires acknowledging and actively working to undo these inequities so that everyone, regardless of race or background, has the chance to thrive.

Homelessness is Simple and complex

The only cause of homelessness is not having a home.

The solution is housing.

While this is a simple and accurate truth, there are various complexities ranging from personal tragedy, job loss, and chronic health conditions to generational poverty and housing markets that contribute to why homelessness exists. Housing, adequate supports, and addressing issues of injustice are all part of the solution. One of the most challenging solutions is addressing a unique combination of experiences, traumas, lack of support networks, and access to services or supports.

Physical health challenges often play a significant role in the cycle of homelessness, but they are frequently misunderstood as the cause rather than a consequence. Many people experiencing homelessness live with unmanaged chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, or respiratory illnesses that worsen without stable shelter, refrigeration for medication, or regular care. Conditions that could be controlled in a stable environment become disabling or life-threatening, making it even harder to secure employment or maintain consistent engagement with services. The stress of living outdoors or in temporary settings accelerates health decline, compounding other barriers to stability.

Mental health is another critical factor that intersects with homelessness, yet it is rarely the root cause on its own. Depression, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress, and severe mental illnesses are more common among those who lose housing because trauma and instability feed into mental distress. When someone has already lost their home or safety net, even treatable mental health issues can spiral. The reality is that mental illness alone doesn’t cause homelessness, a lack of affordable housing, inadequate access to care, and social disconnection create the conditions where mental health needs become overwhelming and unaddressed.

Substance use challenges also intersect with homelessness in complex ways. Some people develop dependencies as a coping strategy for trauma and the stress of life without a home. Others may have struggled with substance use long before losing housing. But like mental illness, substance use is rarely the sole cause of homelessness. In fact, many people with substance use disorders remain housed when they have resources and support. When housing is lost, substance use becomes harder to manage, treatment options become limited, and stigma increases. Without stability and safe places to recover, people are left to navigate these challenges in public spaces or shelters.

These realities underline why homelessness cannot be solved by addressing health or substance use in isolation. Housing itself is health care, and stable housing is the platform from which people can address other needs more effectively. Comprehensive solutions must recognize that health challenges and homelessness exist in a reinforcing loop—and that breaking that loop starts with housing first, paired with accessible, judgment-free supports for recovery and well-being. It is only through this integrated approach that we can disrupt the cycles that keep people unhoused, sick, and excluded

We are Ending HOMELESSNESS. But not fast enough.

We know what works.

Our local and regional homeless services are housing people. Good work is happening, just not as fast as homelessness is rising. One thing we learned during the pandemic is that we can effectively prevent homelessness when the social safety net is expanded with rent assistance and evictions are curbed. These are not the only solutions, but can be a key component of larger strategies.

To truly reverse the tide, we must recognize that homelessness is created by policy decisions and societal factors within our control. High housing costs that outpace wages, chronic shortages of affordable rental units, and restrictive zoning laws all contribute to housing instability across the nation. When combined with the erosion of tenant protections, the underfunding of mental health and addiction services, and disinvestment in economic mobility, the result is predictable: more people losing their homes and fewer pathways back to stability. Addressing these root causes requires aligning our policies with the belief that housing is a basic human need, not a reward reserved for those who can clear every barrier.

Solutions must also address the fragility of low-income households’ finances. The pandemic showed us how powerful flexible cash assistance and rental supports can be in keeping families housed. When emergency resources flowed quickly homelessness in many communities actually declined. These lessons illustrate that when people have enough support to weather crises, housing loss is preventable. Sustaining and scaling these types of investments beyond emergencies can create long-term stability and resilience.

Ending homelessness means investing upstream to prevent it and downstream to respond effectively when it happens. We need more affordable homes that are truly accessible to extremely low-income renters, and we need stronger eviction prevention programs that intervene early. We need to reduce the stigma and red tape around helping people with health and substance use challenges. We need coordinated systems that make it easier to find help rather than forcing people to navigate a confusing maze.

Our goal is to create the systems and the political will to change it. We can end homelessness by making it a RARE, BRIEF, and ONE-TIME experience in our community. That means preventing housing loss wherever possible, quickly rehousing people who do become homeless, and providing the supports they need to avoid returning to crisis. It means building a community that understands no one is disposable and everyone deserves a safe place to call home. This work requires all of us—policymakers, landlords, service providers, neighbors—to move past blame and act with urgency, clarity, and compassion. It is entirely within our reach.