According to government data, the number of homeless people in the United States has climbed to the highest level in history. More than 770,000 people will experience homelessness in 2024, a 18% increase from 2023, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) said.
This was the largest annual increase since 2007, when HUD began collecting this data (excluding the jump from 2021 to 2022, when the agency did not conduct a full census due to the Covid-19 pandemic).
A lack of affordable housing, an increase in the number of migrants seeking shelter and natural disasters that have caused some people to leave their homes have contributed to the rise in homelessness, the report said.
The data was collected on a single night in January 2024 and is an annual snapshot of the number of people staying in shelters, temporary shelters and homeless shelters.
According to HUD, the data from earlier this year is unlikely to represent the current state of homelessness given the government's efforts to curb overcrowding. Still, the report sheds light on a tragic consequence of the dire affordable housing situation in America. After decades of underbuilding, housing demand has far outstripped supply. This has driven home prices to record levels by 2024. The cost of borrowing to buy a home has also remained persistently high this year, despite the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates three times this year. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 6.85 % last week, down from a high of 7.22 % earlier this year.
Rents have also continued to rise since a brief dip during the pandemic. According to the US Census Bureau, by 2023, nearly half of renters will be spending more than 30 % of their income on housing, qualifying them as cost-burdened.
"No American should face homelessness, and the Biden and Harris administrations are committed to ensuring that every family has access to the affordable, safe, quality housing they deserve," said in a statement Adrianne Todman, U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. "While this data is almost a year old and no longer reflects the situation we see, it is critical that we focus on evidence-based efforts to prevent and end homelessness."
HUD's report showed that many cities saw more homeless people compared to last year, although Dallas and Los Angeles saw declines.
However, one group that saw a significant improvement in long-term housing prospects was veterans. The number of homeless veterans decreased by nearly 8 % from last year to the lowest number on record, from 35,574 in 2023 to 32,882 in 2024. The Department of Veterans Affairs said it permanently housed the largest number of homeless veterans this year since 2019.
CNN/ gnews - RoZ
ILLUSTRATIVE PHOTO - pixabay
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