Experts say homelessness continues to rise in the United States due to a lack of affordable housing options.
The number of people experiencing homelessness in the United States has increased 18 percent since last year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) says in a new report.
public data More than 771,000 people across the country were experiencing homelessness on Friday, according to the annual count conducted on one night in January 2024.
The numbers, which HUD said were the highest on record, include people staying in emergency shelters, safe havens, temporary housing or unsheltered locations in the United States.
This does not include people living in certain forms of housing instability, such as not having their own shelter and staying with friends or family.
“The worsening national affordable housing crisis, rising inflation, stagnant wages for middle- and low-income households, and the ongoing impacts of systemic racism are pushing our homeless services system to its limits,” the department’s report said.PDF) read.
Homelessness has been on the rise for years due to a lack of affordable housing options in cities across the United States. Figures HUD released last year showed that homelessness in 2023 would increase 12% compared to the previous year.
As rates of homelessness rise, tent cities and encampments have also sprung up in many American cities.
Some cities have stepped up programs to get people off the streets and into shelters or temporary housing, while others have been criticized for taking harsh measures to punish or even criminalize homelessness.
One of the most surprising findings in Friday’s HUD report was the significant increase in the number of children experiencing homelessness.
There will be nearly 150,000 children experiencing homelessness in the United States this year, a 33% increase compared to 2023.
“Children (under 18 years of age) were the age group with the largest increase in homelessness between 2023 and 2024,” the report said.
The report primarily attributed the overall increase in homelessness to a lack of affordable housing, but HUD said other factors also played a role, including natural disasters like the Maui wildfires that forced people from their homes.
An increase in the number of migrants staying in shelters in major U.S. cities, including New York, Denver and Chicago, also contributed to the increase, as did the expiration of benefits and protection rules that helped people maintain housing during the COVID-19 pandemic. .
The National Low Income Housing Coalition said Friday that its report highlights “the urgent need for policymakers to invest in proven solutions to the affordable housing and homelessness crisis.”
“Rising homelessness is a tragic but predictable consequence of underinvesting in resources and protections that help people find and maintain safe, affordable housing,” said Renee Willis, the group’s new interim CEO. . declaration.
“As advocates, researchers and those with lived experience have warned, the number of people experiencing homelessness continues to rise as more people struggle to afford soaring housing costs.”
