Reducing homelessness is not an issue that resonates for most residents in the Mid-Hudson region. It receives an average score of just 6.2 out of a possible 10 relatively unchanged from the average rating of 6.0 it had in 2002. It continues to rank at the bottom of the list of residents’ priorities for the region.
Residents of Dutchess County rate the issue of homelessness higher than residents in the other six Mid-Hudson Valley counties. The issue receives an average score of 6.6 among Dutchess County residents. This contrasts with the lowest average rating of 5.4 in Putnam County. Even among Dutchess County residents, however, the issue of homelessness ranks in the bottom tier of priorities.
Homelessness is also of greater concern to African American and Latino residents than it is to white residents. Homelessness receives an average score of 7.8 among African American residents and 7.0 among Latino residents. In contrast, white residents give this issue an average rating of 6.0.
Concern about homelessness also resonates among Mid-Hudson Valley residents who are the most financially vulnerable. For instance, residents with an annual household income of less than $30,000, residents under the age of sixty-five who have a disability, and single parents all rate reducing homelessness at least a half percentage point higher than the regional average.
