Evanston has only 3% of the population in suburban Cook County, but has 8.7% of the suburban Cook population who are experiencing homelessness, according to federal and state governments, and homeless advocacy organizations.

The population numbers come from the U.S. Census Bureau for 2023. The data on homelessness (2020-24) is from the State of Illinois, and the Alliance to End Homelessness in Suburban Cook County, based on the point in time survey conducted in January.

Nationally, the number of homeless jumped by 18% from 2023 to 2024. But in Illinois it was worse, more than doubling over the same period.

The point in time surveys are the equivalent of a “homeless census,” where outreach workers actually count not only those living in emergency shelters, but also individuals staying in their cars, in a park, or under a viaduct.

That type of homelessness is called “literal,” and differs from (and is worse than) someone who may have no fixed place to live, but is at least doubling or tripling up with a relative or friend.

One of the biggest problems, and it’s growing, is the number of homeless families with children, now more than 28% of the nation’s homeless population.

Jennifer Hill, executive director of the Suburban Cook Alliance, says there were 493 “literally homeless” families with children in the Cook County suburbs in the period September 2023-October 2024.

Thirty-eight of those families, Hill says, were from Evanston.

The suburban (and Evanston) reality may actually be worse than what the PIT numbers show.

That’s because, as Hill notes, there is the “visible” homelessness — people you can see, and also the “invisible” kind.

In the suburbs, Hill says, “for the most part, homelessness tends to be invisible, and family homelessness is more invisible.”

Evanston may be somewhat of an exception to the “visible/invisible” dichotomy, because Evanston is more of a city than are the surrounding “bedroom” suburbs, and you may see more people on the streets.

Evanston is far more diverse economically than many other suburbs, with more people living on the margin financially, and thus more prone to housing insecurity.

Hill says rent increases are one of the biggest “drivers” of individuals becoming homeless.

The presence of the Margarita Inn, operated by Connections for the Homeless has put more political focus on homelessness in Evanston. Few other suburbs have any type of shelter, let alone one near the heart of downtown.

The Margarita Inn, which houses about 60 people, is not a short-term “emergency” shelter, but rather a longer-term facility, where the average stay is about 10 months. The goal is not simply a warm bed overnight, but transition to permanent housing.

Evaston’s proximity to Chicago also may make the homeless more visible here. Chicago has by far the largest number of homeless people including migrants, and individuals who are apparently migrants (based on signs they hold) are a small but obvious presence in front of grocery and drug stores in Evanston.

Still, Hill says, while some migrants may be seen asking for help, “the majority are still invisible.”

Nationwide, the number of homeless was more than 770,000 in 2024, according to the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.

That 18% increase is the largest annual jump since the count began in 2007

In Illinois, however, the picture is even worse, a 116% increase from 2023 to 2024 (11, 947 to 28,506).

Much of that was driven by a 207% increase in the City of Chicago, a city flooded by migrants, many of whom were sent here by the governor of Texas.

Suburban Cook only saw a 13% jump over 2023, although a 13% increase in the number of people living in cars or in shelters is nothing to brag about.

Something new which may help … the Suburban Cook Alliance has received a $2.5 million grant from billionaire and Amazon chair Jeff Bezos and his fiancee Lauren Sanchez and Bezos’ Day 1 Families Fund.

The Cook County agency is one of 40 nationwide receiving a total of $110.5 million from the Fund to work on reducing homelessness for families.

Locally, the money will be used to increase “street outreach, diversion, emergency shelter, flexible rental assistance and housing stability services that bring the suburban Cook County region closer to achieving functional zero homelessness for families,” according to a release from the Suburban Cook Alliance.

While it’s likely that many people are tired of being asked for money, and it’s also true that not all panhandlers are actually homeless, there’s no doubt that the problem of homelessness is real, and there are not enough places for people to stay instead of in their cars or next to a bridge.

As Hill puts it, “when people find out how difficult it is to find access to shelters, they have more empathy for people who stay outside.”