AFAIK the black homeless population is barely larger than the white homeless population. Black people are disproportionately represented, but I don't think that homelessness is widely considered a "black problem." The homeless people that one is likely to meet are not significantly more likely to be black than white.
It's always a shock to me to see how many visibly homeless black people there are in SF, when I visit. The homeless I see in my daily life in Toronto are almost all white-ish or First Nations.
So, while I'm not arguing about the absolute number, it's the proportion that affects my perceptions. Frankly, it's demoralizing.
That might actually be caused among other things by a higher representation of African-Americans in the US military. Turns out, being a US soldier can have all sorts of health consequences...
I'd bet there is a stronger correlation between homelessness and incarceration rates. Incarceration in this country is very racially biased and it can be very difficult for ex-cons to find decent jobs that keep them off the streets. A lot of them end up with the choice to either be homeless or reoffend.
I doubt it. I'd say having cities and large neighbourhoods that are effectively no-go zones for well-adjusted families has more to do with it. These are literal and figurative breeding grounds for anti-social behaviour.
