The number of people suffering from homelessness in the United States soared throughout this last year, hitting records never before seen in 2024.
The news was shared by federal officials on Friday, sharing that the homelessness rate jumped 18.1% last year, marking one of the largest increases ever seen. Among the driving factors were the lack of affordable houses, natural disasters, and a surge of migrants in some regions of the country.
According to the latest report from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, more than 770,000 people were counted as homeless in federally required counts from across the country during a single night in January 2024.
The report notes that the estimate most likely undercounts the number of unhoused people, being that it doesn’t factor in those who stay with friends or family but don’t have their own place.
In 2023, the US saw an increase of 12% in the number of homeless individuals, which HUD blamed on shelter costs rising and the end to pandemic assistance.
“More people than ever need help paying rent. More people than ever are becoming homeless for the first time,” the National Alliance to End Homelessness wrote on X in a post about the HUD report.
According to a Harvard Joint Center for Housing study, the cost of rent has increased dramatically in recent years, resulting in a record number of renters paying more than 30% of their household income on housing.
HUD Agency head Adrianne Todman shared in a statement that “no American should face homelessness,” adding that efforts should continue to be focused on “evidence-based efforts to prevent and end homelessness.”
It is also important to note that the report from HUD comes almost a year after the data was collected, meaning it doesn’t take into account the decline in unlawful crossings at the US-Mexico border, which fell after soaring during President Joe Biden’s time in office.
As for what the survey did highlight, HUD found a nearly 40% rise in family homelessness, a trend bolstered by the arrival of migrants in big cities.
Another trend showed that almost 150,000 children experienced homelessness on a single night in 2024, a 33% jump compared to last year.
Still, some cities have made improvements compared to last year, as Dallas, which overhauled its homeless system, saw a 16% drop in its 2024 numbers when compared to 2022. Los Angeles also saw a drop of 5% when compared to 2023.