The United States (U.S.) has seen a dramatic 12 percent increase in homelessness, while rents are rising. At the same time, aid payments were reduced after the coronavirus pandemic, so housing became unaffordable for many Americans, federal officials announced.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) 2023 estimate reveals that more than 650,000 people experienced homelessness in January 2023.
This is the highest number ever recorded since data collection began in 2007.
Also, there are 70,650 more homeless people compared to January 2022.
The latest assessment also showed that the largest number of new homeless people are people who have become homeless for the first time, ending the downward trend in homelessness that began in 2012.
About 28 percent of those experiencing homelessness in the U.S., or approximately 186,100 people, were part of a family with children. That number increased by more than 25,000 people from 2022 to 2023.
HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge said homelessness “is solvable and should not exist in the U.S..”
“We have made positive strides, but there is more work to be done. These data highlight the urgent need to support proven solutions and strategies that help people exit homelessness quickly and that prevent homelessness in the first place,” Fudge said, according to the report.
