The number of homeless people in the U.S. will hit a new high in 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s annual report. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s annual report, more than 770,000 people were homeless on any given night in January.
That number is up 18% from 2023, driven in part by a surge in immigrants entering the U.S. illegally and living without housing. sanctuary cityThe report pointed out:
HUD said a snapshot of data collected a year ago no longer reflects the current situation, that the immigrant situation has stabilized and that Chicago and Denver have announced the end of their immigrant shelter systems.
“No American should experience homelessness, and the Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring that all families have access to affordable, safe, high-quality housing,” said HUD Agency Administrator Adrianne Todman. “This time data “It’s been almost a year and it no longer reflects the situation we’re seeing, so it’s important to focus on evidence-based efforts to prevent and end homelessness.”
The National Alliance to End Homelessness blames the growing sheltered and unsheltered homeless population on the lack of affordable housing, citing a national shortage of about 7.3 million affordable rental units. I point out that it does.
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“The answer to ending homelessness is ensuring everyone has access to safe, stable and affordable housing. Our leaders must immediately expand resources to house the homeless and support the rapidly growing number of people unable to afford soaring rents,” said NAEH CEO Ann Oliva. “This record-breaking increase in homelessness should serve as a wake-up call to federal, state, and local lawmakers to advance evidence-based solutions to this crisis.”
Oliva said the reported 8 percent decline in veteran homelessness provides policymakers with a roadmap for how to address the overall problem of homelessness. That means increasing federal funding for the Housing Choice Voucher Program and investing in homelessness prevention and racial equity programs.
Devon Kurtz, director of public safety policy at the Cicero Institute, said the causes of the homelessness crisis are not only economic, but also related to health and public safety, particularly the unsheltered homeless population.
“Unsheltered people see a greater behavioral health component and a greater connection between homelessness and the criminal justice system,” Kurtz told The Center Square. “And that applies to both people who leave prison and become homeless and people who become homeless and cycle through the jail and prison system.
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“Unlike many individual factors that cause most things, it is actually all/and (the circumstances). combination of things” he added, citing substance use, substance abuse and mental health issues as contributing factors.
According to data collected by the Cicero Institute, approximately 75% of the unsheltered homeless population has a drug or alcohol addiction, and 78% have a serious mental illness.
In California Highest Homeless Population The United States will implement Proposition 36, which would crack down on drug-related crimes and provide treatment as an option instead of incarceration.
Syndicated with permission from The Center Square.
