The U.S. had an 18.1% increase in homelessness in 2024, a dramatic rise driven mostly by a lack of affordable housing as well as devastating natural disasters and a surge of migrants in several parts of the country. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said federally required tallies taken across the country - the annual Point-In-Time (PIT) Count - in January found that over 770,000 were counted as homeless. This number misses some people and does not include those staying with friends or family because they do not have a place of their own.
The source of the data was Part 1: Point-In-Time Estimates of Homelessness of HUD's The 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress, an annual report to Congress providing nationwide estimates of homelessness, including information about the demographic characteristics of homeless persons, service use patterns, and the capacity to house homeless persons. HUD released it on December 27, 2024.
2024's 18.1% increase comes after 2023's 12.0% increase, which HUD said was caused by soaring rents, the end of pandemic assistance, and by people experiencing homelessness for the first time. The numbers overall represent 23 of every 10,000 people in the U.S., with Black people being overrepresented among the homeless population.
Among the most serious trends was a nearly 40% rise in family homelessness - among the areas most affected by the arrival of migrants in big cities. Family homelessness more than doubled in 13 communities impacted by migrants including Denver, Chicago, and New York City, while it rose less than 8% in the other 373 communities. Almost 150,000 children were homeless on a single night in 2024, a 33% jump from last year. California, the most populous state, continued to have the nation’s largest homeless population, followed by New York, Washington, Florida and Massachusetts.
According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), to fully address America’s affordable housing and homelessness crisis, "Congress must invest at the scale needed to ensure that renters with the lowest incomes have an affordable place to call home. As outlined in NLIHC’s national HoUSed campaign policy agenda, federal investments are needed to bridge the gap between incomes and housing costs through universal rental assistance, build and preserve rental homes affordable to people with the lowest incomes, prevent evictions and homelessness by stabilizing families during a crisis, and strengthen and enforce renter protections to address the power imbalance that tilts heavily in favor of landlords."
While the data presents a grim picture, it also "demonstrates that success is possible when the federal government prioritizes evidence-based solutions and funds these resources to scale," said the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH). One notable example is the reduction in veteran homelessness. From 2023 to 2024, veteran homelessness dropped by 7.6%, with unsheltered veteran homelessness falling 10.7%. This marks the continuation of a successful federal strategy that has reduced veteran homelessness by over 55% since 2010, one of the most significant achievements in the fight to end homelessness. In addition, several large cities had success reducing their homeless numbers. Dallas, which overhauled its homeless system, saw a 16% drop during 2022-2024. Los Angeles, which increased housing for the homeless, had a 5% decrease in unsheltered homelessness since 2023.
Read the December 27, 2024 AP News Article.
