Homelessness in the United States rose 18.1% this year to a record high, with the dramatic increase driven primarily by a lack of affordable housing, as well as devastating natural disasters and an increase in migrants in some regions of the country, according to federal officials. he said friday
More than 770,000 people were counted as homeless in federally required records nationwide during a single night in January 2024, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development said in its new report The estimate likely undercounts the number of homeless people, as it doesn’t include people staying with friends or family because they don’t have a place of their own.
That jump comes over one 12% increase in 2023which HUD blamed on rising rents and the end of pandemic assistance. The increase in 2023 was also driven by people experiencing homelessness for the first time.
Vulnerable Americans have been hit hard in the years since the pandemic, as many government supports ended, including the moratorium on evictions. At the same time, housing costs are rising, leaving record numbers of renters cost-burdened or paying more than 30% of their income for housing, seconds at Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.
“More people than ever need help paying rent. More people than ever become homeless for the first time,” the National Alliance to End Homelessness, a nonprofit organization focused on preventing and ending, wrote to X with homelessness. publication on the HUD report.
The numbers overall represent 23 out of every 10,000 people in the United States, and blacks are overrepresented among the homeless population.
“No American should have to face homelessness,” HUD Chief Adrianne Todman said in a statement, adding that the focus should continue on “efforts based on evidence to prevent and end homelessness.”
However, since the report is based on data collected nearly a year earlier, it may not accurately represent current circumstances, the statement added. For example, illegal crossings on the US-Mexico border has decreased this yearafter migrant detentions have soared to record highs under President Joe Biden, peaking at 250,000 in December 2024.
Increase in family homelessness
Among the most worrying trends was an almost 40% increase in family homelessness, one of the areas most affected by the influx of migrants to the big cities. Family homelessness more than doubled in the 13 communities affected by migrants, including Denver, Chicago and New York City, according to HUD, while it rose less than 8 percent in the remaining 373 communities.
Almost 150,000 children experienced homelessness in a single night in 2024, reflecting a 33% increase on last year.
Disasters also played a role in the increased count, particularly last year’s catastrophic Maui wildfire, the deadliest wildfire in the United States 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 the tragic but predictable consequence of underinvestment in the resources and protections that help people find and maintain safe and affordable housing,” said Renee Willis, incoming interim CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, in a statement. “As advocates, researchers and people with lived experience have warned, homelessness continues to rise as more people struggle to afford sky-high housing costs.”
Camping prohibitions
The 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, especially in western states, have enforced camping bans. This follows a 6-3 ruling from the Supreme Court last year 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 its downward trend. Homelessness among veterans fell 8% to 32,882 in 2024. It was an even bigger decrease for unsheltered veterans, which dropped 11% to 13,851 in 2024.
“Reducing veteran homelessness gives us 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 investments are critical to addressing the nation’s housing affordability crisis and ensuring that all Americans have access to safe and stable housing.”
Cities where homelessness is declining
Several large cities were successful in reducing homelessness. Dallas, which worked to overhaul its homeless system, saw a 16 percent drop in its numbers between 2022 and 2024. Los Angeles, which increased housing for the homeless, saw a drop of 5% in the number of homeless people from 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 United States has had for more than a decade.
Going back to the first survey in 2007, the United States made steady progress for about a decade in reducing the homeless population, as the government specifically focused on increasing investments to get veterans into housing. The number of homeless people fell from about 637,000 in 2010 to about 554,000 in 2017.