Homelessness surged 18% to a new record in 2024 amid a lack of affordable housing across the U.S.
The number of people experiencing homelessness in the United States has soared 18.1% this year to a record high, federal officials say. The sharp rise is largely due to a lack of affordable housing, devastating natural disasters and a surge in immigration in some parts of the country. explain Friday.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said in its report that on a single night in January 2024, a count requested by the federal government showed that more than 770,000 people nationwide were considered homeless. New report. This estimate likely underestimates the number of homeless people because it does not include people who are living with friends or family because they do not have a place of their own.
That jump occurred in 12% growth in 2023The Department of Housing and Urban Development blamed soaring rents and the end of pandemic aid. Growth in 2023 is also driven by people experiencing homelessness for the first time.
In the years following the pandemic, vulnerable Americans have been hit hard as many government supports ended, including Eviction moratorium. At the same time, housing costs have soared, leaving renters with record cost burdens or spending more than 30% of their income on housing. according to Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies.
“More people than ever need help paying rent. More people than ever are experiencing homelessness for the first time,” said National Ending Homelessness, a nonprofit dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness. Alliance wrote on X. postal About HUD reporting.
Overall, the U.S. has 23 homeless people per 10,000 people, with black people overrepresented among homeless people.
“No American should face homelessness,” HUD agency director Adrian Todman said in a statement. She added that the focus should continue to be on “preventing and ending homelessness.” Evidence-Based Efforts to Return”.
However, the statement added that because the report is based on data collected nearly a year ago, it may not accurately reflect the current situation. For example, illegal border crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border A decrease this yearUnder President Joe Biden, immigration arrests surged to record highs, peaking at 250,000 in December 2024.
Increase in homeless families
One of the most worrying trends is a nearly 40% increase in family homelessness, which is one of the areas hardest hit by migration from big cities. HUD data shows that in 13 communities affected by immigration, including Denver, Chicago and New York City, the number of family homeless people more than doubled, while in the remaining 373 communities, the number of family homeless people increased at the same rate. to 8%.
Nearly 150,000 children will be homeless on a single night in 2024, a 33% increase from the previous year.
Disasters have also contributed to the rise, notably last year’s catastrophic wildfires in Maui, the deadliest wildfires in the United States in more than a century. On the night of the count, more than 5,200 people were living in emergency shelters in Hawaii.
“The increase in homelessness is a tragic but foreseeable consequence of the increased efforts to help people There is insufficient investment in resources and protection to find and maintain safe, affordable housing. “As advocates, researchers and those with lived experience warn, as more people struggle to afford sky-high housing costs, Homelessness continues to increase.”
No camping
At the same time, more and more communities are taking a hard line on homelessness.
Communities — especially in Western states — have been enforcing camping bans because tent camps are often dangerous and dirty. The move comes after the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 last year that bans on outdoor sleeping do not violate the Eighth Amendment. Homeless advocates argue that punishing people who need sleep criminalizes homelessness.
There is some positive news in the statistics, with veteran homelessness continuing to trend downward. In 2024, the number of homeless veterans dropped 8% to 32,882. The number of homeless veterans declined even more, falling 11% in 2024 to 13,851.
“Reductions in veteran homelessness provide us with a clear roadmap to address homelessness on a larger scale,” Ann Oliva, CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, said in a statement. “With bipartisan support, adequate funding, and smart policy solutions, we can replicate this success and reduce homelessness across the country. Federal investment is essential to solving the country’s housing affordability crisis and ensuring that it remains affordable. It is critical that every American has access to safe, stable housing.”
Cities where homelessness is declining
Several major cities have successfully reduced the number of homeless people. Dallas is committed to overhauling its homelessness system and has seen a 16% decline in homelessness between 2022 and 2024. Los Angeles has increased homeless housing and has seen a 5% decline in homelessness since 2023.
California, the most populous state in the United States, still has the largest number of homeless people in the country, followed by New York, Washington, Florida and Massachusetts.
The dramatic increase in homelessness over the past two years stands in stark contrast to more than a decade of U.S. success.
Going back to the first survey in 2007, the United States has made about a decade of steady progress in reducing homelessness, as the government has focused specifically on increasing investment in housing veterans. The number of homeless people fell from about 637,000 in 2010 to about 554,000 in 2017.
