A foreclosed home is seen in Denver on April 9, 2009. Colorado foreclosure rates remain fairly flat as Nevada continues to have the nation's highest foreclosure rate, according to RealtyTrac, followed by Arizona, California, Florida, Idaho, Michigan, Illinois, Georgia, Oregon and Ohio. (UPI Photo/Gary C. Caskey) | License Photo

NEW YORK, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- Losing a house to foreclosure has become an increasingly prevalent factor at U.S. homeless shelters, a national study revealed.

The survey conducted for several groups including the National Coalition for the Homeless shows that an average of 10 percent of homeless people helped by various social service agencies in 2008 said they had lost their homes to bank actions, The New York Times reported Monday.


As recently as 2006, foreclosure was a rare explanation for homelessness, the Times said.

In 2008, in the Midwest, 15 percent of homeless people attributed foreclosures to the reason for their plight, the study said.

"These families never needed help before. They haven't a clue about where to go, and they have all sorts of humiliation issues. They don't even know what to say, what to ask for," said Larry Haynes, executive director of Mercy House in Santa Ana, Calif.

Rick Cole, city manager in Ventura, Calif., said, "we've seen a rise in people sleeping in their cars," noting, "some are foreclosed former homeowners, and some couldn't afford their rent."