Report from AP: Homelessness in the US reaches record high as housing costs bite

The United States saw an 18.1% increase in homelessness this year, a dramatic rise driven mostly by a lack of affordable housing. The rise has also been driven by both devastating natural disasters and a surge of migrants in several parts of the country, federal officials said on Friday.

Homelessness in the US reaches record high as housing costs bite

Copyright Jae C. Hong/Copyright 2023 The AP. All rights reserved

By Daniel Bellamy with AP

Published on 28/12/2024 - 9:47 GMT+1•Updated 10:01

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The United States saw an 18.1% increase in homelessness this year, a dramatic rise driven mostly by a lack of affordable housing.

The rise has also been driven by both devastating natural disasters and a surge of migrants in several parts of the country, federal officials said on Friday.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) said federally required tallies taken across the country in January found that more than 770,000 people were counted as homeless — a number that misses some people and does not include those staying with friends or family because they do not have a place of their own.

That increase comes on top of a 12% increase in 2023, which HUD blamed on soaring rents and the end of pandemic assistance. The 2023 increase also was driven by people experiencing homelessness for the first time. The numbers overall represent 23 of every 10,000 people in the U.S.

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