The United States saw an 18.1 percent increase homeless this year, a dramatic increase due mainly to a lack of affordable housing as well as devastating natural disasters and a surge of migrants in several parts of the country, federal officials announced Friday.
THE WE The Department of Housing and Urban Development said counts conducted across the country in January, required by the federal government, found that more than 770,000 people were counted as homeless – a figure that misses some people and does not does not include those who stay with friends or family because they do not have a place to live. of their own accord.
That increase comes on top of a 12% increase in 2023, which HUD blamed on soaring rents and the end of pandemic aid. The 2023 increase is also due to people experiencing homelessness for the first time. The overall figures represent 23 out of every 10,000 people in the United States, with black people overrepresented among the homeless population.
“No American should face homelessness, and the Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring that every family has access to the affordable, safe, quality housing they deserve,” said Adrianne Todman, director of the HUD agency, in a statement, adding that the focus should remain on “evidence-based efforts to prevent and end homelessness.”
One of the most worrying trends is the almost 40 percent increase in family homelessness – one of the areas most affected by the arrival of migrants in major cities. Family homelessness more than doubled in 13 migrant-impacted communities, including Denver, Chicago and New York, according to HUD, while it increased by less than 8 percent in the remaining 373 communities. Nearly 150,000 children were left homeless in a single night in 2024, a 33% increase from last year.
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Disasters have also played a role in the rise in cases, particularly last year’s catastrophic Maui fire, the deadliest wildfire in the United States in more than a century. More than 5,200 people were staying in emergency shelters in Hawaii the night of the count.
“Increased homelessness is the tragic, but predictable, consequence of underinvestment in the resources and protections that help people find and maintain safe, affordable housing,” said Renee Willis, new CEO of interim of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, in a press release. “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 exorbitant housing costs. »
These figures also come as a growing number of communities are taking a hard line against homelessness.
Angered by the often dangerous and dirty tent camps, communities – particularly in Western states – have imposed camping bans. This follows a 6-3 ruling last year by the Supreme Court that banning outdoor sleeping does not violate the Eighth Amendment. Homeless advocates have 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 decline. Veteran homelessness fell 8 percent to 32,882 in 2024. This is an even larger decrease for homeless veterans, down 11 percent to 13,851 in 2024.
“Reducing the number of formerly homeless people gives us a clear road map to address homelessness on a larger scale,” said Ann Oliva, CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, in a press release. “With bipartisan support, adequate funding and smart policy solutions, we can replicate this success and reduce homelessness nationally.” Federal investments are essential to combating the nation’s housing affordability crisis and ensuring that every American has access to safe and stable housing.
Several large cities have managed to reduce the number of homeless people. Dallas, which has worked to overhaul its homeless system, saw its numbers drop 16 percent between 2022 and 2024. Los Angeles, which increased housing for homeless people, saw a decline of 5 percent in homelessness since 2023. California, the most populous state in the United States, continues 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 United States has enjoyed for more than a decade.
Going back to the first survey in 2007, the United States has made steady progress for about a decade in reducing the homeless population, with the government particularly focused on increasing investments to enable veterans to access housing. The number of homeless people increased from around 637,000 in 2010 to around 554,000 in 2017.
The numbers reached about 580,000 in the 2020 count and remained relatively stable over the next two years as Congress responded to the COVID-19 pandemic with emergency rental assistance, stimulus payments, aid to state and local governments and a temporary moratorium on evictions.
© 2024 The Canadian Press