E/CN.4/1995/78/Add.1 page 15 subsidies fell considerably between 1980 and 1993, with a particular impact on the possibility for people from ethnic minorities to find housing: "In 1980, federal funds in housing totalled $66 billion. In 1993, the total of federal funds was $8 billion. At the high point of 1985, there were approximately 1,900 housing starts in single and multiple structures of 5 or more units. In 1990, there was a total of approximately 750 housing starts, with the picture somewhat improved in 1993 with approximately 1,600 new housing starts registered by the Census Bureau." 24/ 50. Moreover, African Americans, Latinos and other ethnic minorities might encounter racial discrimination affecting access to housing subsidies, as in the city of Buffalo, in New York State, where it was found that "97 per cent of rental housing subsidies were given to white households even though 21 per cent of those on waiting lists were people of color". 25/ Moreover, it is difficult for persons from ethnic minorities to obtain housing loans. 51. Another distinctive urban feature is the number of homeless persons wandering aimlessly and begging in the large American cities. Yet again, a majority of them are so-called coloured people. A study by the Housing Department has found that over 6 million persons were homeless, the majority of them African Americans. Although the latter make up 12 per cent of the United States population, they account for at least 48 per cent of the homeless. In New York City alone, where the percentage of African Americans is estimated at 17 per cent, they account for 60 per cent of the homeless. D. Employment 52. Like most industrialized countries, the United States is experiencing a growing level of unemployment. However, because of the changing economy and some discriminatory practices, rates of unemployment among national minorities and indigenous peoples are appalling. This is especially true for young people. 53. The official unemployment rate in the United States is 5.6 per cent. For African American adults, it is officially 15.9 per cent. For African American youth however, it is 40 per cent. The rate of unemployment among Latinos is approximately 17 per cent and among Native Americans, the official rate of unemployment averages 46 per cent (data often is not kept, but it is known that on some reservations unemployment ranges as high as 70 per cent). These official rates must be understood against the reality of hundreds of thousands of people having given up looking for work and who are therefore not counted in official data, and the inclusion of those persons in the armed forces being counted. For instance, the real rate of unemployment for African Americans is 26 per cent and for African American youth, 58 per cent. 26/ 54. The misery, pain and suffering brought on by unemployment can be seen on any street in the United States, with African American homeless people increasingly begging for food, work or money. The changes in the job market, coupled with the effects of racial discrimination, have led to an unprecedented marginalization of the Black working class. In fact, the Urban Institute, in a seminal report on employment discrimination, noted that racism