The rise in homelessness in the United States is due to a lack of affordable housing, experts say.
Population to be homeless in the United States has increased by 18 percent over last year, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) said in a new report.
The data has been released On Friday, it was revealed that more than 771,000 people are homeless across the country, based on the annual number that occurred overnight in January 2024.
That number — which HUD said is the highest it's ever been — includes people living in emergency shelters, safe havens, transitional housing, or unsafe housing in the US.
It does not include people living in other forms of housing disruption, such as people living with a partner or relative because they have no shelter of their own.
“Our national affordable housing crisis, rising inflation, stagnant wages among middle- and low-income families, and the effects of global discrimination have made homelessness services impossible,” the department reported.PDF) reads.
Homelessness has been on the rise in the US for decades, led by a lack of affordable housing options in cities across the country. In figures released last year, HUD found that homelessness will increase by 12 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year.
Many tent cities and encampments have also sprung up in many cities in the United States due to homelessness.
While some cities have promoted programs to get people off the streets and into shelters or temporary housing, others have implemented draconian measures that critics say punish or even violate homelessness laws.
One of the most alarming findings in Friday's HUD report was the dramatic increase in the number of children experiencing homelessness.
About 150,000 children will be homeless in the US this year, the department said – a 33 percent increase compared to 2023.
“Between 2023 and 2024, children (under the age of 18) accounted for most of the years of homelessness,” said the report.
While the report attributed the increase in homelessness to a lack of affordable housing, HUD also said other factors have contributed, including natural disasters such as Maui's wildfires which displaced people from their homes.
An increase in immigration Sheltered housing in major US cities, including New York, Denver, and Chicago, also contributed to this increase, along with the end of benefits and safety regulations The goal is to help people keep their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition said Friday's report underscored the “urgent need for policymakers to invest in addressing housing and homelessness.”
“The rise in homelessness is a difficult, but predictable, consequence of underinvesting in the infrastructure and safety nets that help people find and maintain safe, affordable housing,” Renee Willis, the group's incoming executive director, said. words.
“As advocates, researchers, and former residents warn, the number of homeless people continues to grow as more people struggle to afford affordable housing.”