US homelessness hits record highs as housing costs continue to rise!
The increase has also been fueled by devastating natural disasters and a surge in immigrants in some parts of the country, federal officials said Friday. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) said federal estimates taken across the country found that more than 770,000 people were counted as homeless, a number that misses some people and does not include those staying with friends or family. because they do. they don't have a country of their own.
That increase comes on top of a 12% increase in 2023, which HUD blamed on rising rents and the end of pandemic aid. The 2023 increase is also driven by people experiencing homelessness for the first time. The numbers generally represent 23 out of every 10,000 people in the US. The report also found that while African Americans make up 12% of the population, when it comes to homelessness, 32% are African American. Overall, 21% of the US population living in poverty is African American.
"No American should have to face homelessness, and the Biden-Harris administration is committed to ensuring that every family has access to the affordable, safe and quality housing they deserve," HUD Administrator Adrianne Todman said in a statement. , adding that the focus must remain. on "evidence-based efforts to prevent and end homelessness."
Among the most disturbing trends was a nearly 40% increase in household homelessness, one of the areas most affected by the influx of immigrants to the big cities. Family homelessness doubled in 13 immigrant-impacted communities, including Denver, Chicago and New York City, according to HUD, while it increased by less than 8% in the remaining 373 communities. Nearly 150,000 children experienced homelessness on a single night in 2024, reflecting a 33% increase from the previous year.
Disasters also played a role in the toll, particularly last year's catastrophic Maui wildfire, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. More than 5,200 people were staying in emergency shelters in Hawaii on the night of the count.
"The rise in homelessness is a tragic but predictable consequence of under-investment in the resources and protections that help people find and maintain safe and affordable housing," Renee Willis, interim CEO of the National Coalition for Homelessness, said in a statement. of Low Income Housing. "As advocates, researchers and people with lived experience have warned, the number of people experiencing homelessness continues to rise as more people struggle to afford high housing costs."
Robert Marbut Jr., former executive director of the US Interagency Council on Homelessness from 2019 to 2021, called the nearly 33% increase in homelessness over the past four years "disgraceful" and said the federal government must abandon efforts to prioritize permanent housing. The figures also come as a growing number of communities are taking a tough stance against homelessness.
Communities, particularly in western states, have implemented camping bans as public pressure mounts to address what some residents say are dangerous and unsanitary living conditions. This follows a 6-3 decision earlier this year by the Supreme Court that found outdoor sleeping bans do not violate the Eighth Amendment. Homeless advocates argued that punishing people who need a place to sleep would criminalize homelessness.
There was some positive news in the count, as homelessness among veterans continued to trend downward. Homelessness among veterans fell 8% to 32,882 in 2024. There was an even larger decline for homeless veterans, falling 11% to 13,851 in 2024.
"Reducing veteran homelessness provides us with a clear roadmap for addressing homelessness on a larger scale," Ann Oliva, CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, said in a statement. “With bipartisan support, appropriate funding and smart policy solutions, we can repeat this success and reduce homelessness nationwide. Federal investments are critical to addressing the nation's housing affordability crisis and ensuring that every American has access to safe and stable housing.”
Some large cities have succeeded in reducing their homelessness. Dallas, which worked to overhaul its homelessness system, saw a 16% drop in its numbers between 2022 and 2024. Los Angeles, which increased housing for the homeless, saw a 5% drop in homelessness. homeless as of 2023. California, the most populous state in the US, continued to have the largest homeless population in the country, followed by New York, Washington, Florida and Massachusetts.
The sharp increase in the homeless population over the past two years contrasts with the success the US had enjoyed for more than a decade.
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